Linux Kernel 3.0 Released 181
Suchetha writes "In a posting on his Google+ page Linus Torvalds announced the launch of Linux kernel 3.0. This follows the kernel missing the planned release date of the 19th because of 'a subtle bug.'"
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Re:Finally!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Really, the desktop's all that's left for 2011.
Re:It's the same thing (Score:5, Insightful)
That's not entirely true. If you compare 2.6.0 to 3.0, there's a crapload of changes. However, if you're comparing 2.6.39 to 3.0, it's true that there aren't any big changes. The main reason is because there was no experimental 2.7 branch. If 2.6 had progressed to around 2.6.5 or so, then received nothing but occasional bug fixes, I'd think we'd be amazed by all the new features. Linux development has changed quite a lot since the early days, when the stable kernel branch was considered delicate and protected from any major changes. Now that we've changed the way that Linux is developed (old way: even numbered minor versions are stable, odd numbered minor versions are experimental; new way: new features are continually added to the kernel, rather than going to the experimental branch), added in crazy amounts of features, and it's getting to be a bigger pain to maintain, why not bump the major version?
Was there a compelling reason to bump the major version number? It depends on your point of view, really. I agree with Linus on this matter. It was a good a time as any, plus it was warranted. I understand that some people are disappointed that 3.0 doesn't bring substantial changes from the very last 2.6 patch, but that's not how Linux is developed any more. Is the new way better? Who knows. It seems to be working out well, though.
Re:So what's new? (Score:4, Insightful)
And in yet more exciting Linux 3.0 news, the RT tree has been rewritten [lwn.net], allowing them to finally move forward of the 2.6.33 kernel. The re-write better leverages SMP (per traditional kernel implementation), is dramatically smaller, easier to read and maintain, and leverages more stock kernel facilities rather than poorly implementing its own.