:major.mode.patchlevel:
[for linux]
major release number: usually signifying a largely different instance of
the software
mode: usually signifying either release or development
patchlevel: usually signifying a small set of patches having been
applied at each increment. these patchlevels may or may not make large
changes, this numbering is intended to provide a timeline of change
synchronisation.
----
naturally, the number 100 comes after 99, just as 10 came after 9.
2.1.99 -> 2.1.100 -> 2.1.101. please people, let's not run through this
again like we did on 1.3.x :)
when 2.1.x is deemed an officially ready release kernel, the version will
be incremented to 2.2.0. Linus will make this call in all probability.
the development tree will then acquire the version number of 2.3.x and
progress will continue. normally release kernels do not have new features
unless the feature is rather important. release kernels tend to have
patches only to fix any little buglets that remained unnoticed.
x.<even>.x is a release kernel
x.<odd>.x is a development kernel
as for the use of compilers, several notable people have indicated a
wariness to explicitly support them based on lack of or incorrect
documentation. you are always free to use the other compilers but may
encounter slight difficulty when posting your problems on the list.
several compiler packages are going through development phase and they do
bring certain known/unknown bugs to light.
your best bet is to thoroughly research the bug you have with different
angles to determine the most probable cause before posting it to a list.
on a side note, people are encouraged even more so to post concise emails
and list an ftp site instead of including a sizable attachment. it would
also be beneficial to the list for people to review the last week's
postings on the list before posting their problem. often a patch for
their problem has already been posted.
have a great weekend everyone, and someone get a baby sitter for Linus for
a few hours. he deserves weekends too. =]
-d
-- Please read the linux/Documentation/ files and review the last week of mail on linux-kernel before posting your problem. --thankyou
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