Kiran Padwal was a software engineer at Smartplay Technologies in Pune, India who had submitted basic patches to stabilize the Linux kernel to check error for memory managed resource APIs to allocate memory, checkpatch warnings and device tree support for i2c devices and was part of da9055 codec device driver development. In 2015, Kiran heard about the Linux Foundation Training (LiFT) Scholarship program and submitted an application, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the kernel through training so he could submit more and higher quality patches.
Based on his history of contributions to the Linux community, Kiran was selected as the recipient of a Kernel Guru scholarship, which enabled him to enroll in the Developing Linux Device Drivers course.
We followed up with Kiran recently to hear what he’s been up to since completing his Linux Foundation training.
Linux Foundation: What was the most useful thing you learned through this training?
Kiran: This course was taught by Jerry Cooperstein, and it was a great learning experience for me. I learned lots of new technical concepts, and it also had many hands-on assignments, which helped me to understand things clearly. All of this put together this helped me to shape my life and career.
From the course, I learned:
– The different kinds of device drivers used in Linux
– The appropriate APIs through which devices (both hardware and software) interface with the kernel
– Necessary modules and techniques for developing and debugging Linux drivers
LF: How have you shared what you learned with others?
KP: I have delivered training on Linux device driver development internally at my company. I also always discuss many topics related to the Linux kernel at the Kernel Meetup in Pune.
LF: Has your job changed since receiving the scholarship?
KP: The knowledge I gained from the training helped me to change my role in my organization. Previously I worked on FreeBSD device driver development but this scholarship helped me to get into Linux device driver development in my current organization.
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2020 LiFT scholarship applications have closed, and winners will be announced in late June.
