[ Thanks to jcondon
for this link. ]
“This first of two articles describes the birthing pains of
Linux 2.4, along with the anticipation and frustration of waiting
for the new functionality. TW Burger discusses what Linux users
will get with the new kernel release 2.4 and offers an educated
guess as to the upcoming release date. Part 1 describes how we
might estimate the release date, what the general functionality of
the new release will be, and what to expect in terms of new
extensions to the main hardware capability….”
“First it was promised in the fall of 1999. Then it was spring
2000. On May 25, 2000, Linux Kernel 2.4.0.0-test1 was released as a
prototype and on June 23, 2000, 2.4.0.0-test2 was posted to the
Linux Kernel Archives.”
“The frustration of waiting for the much-anticipated Linux
kernel 2.4 release has spawned the latest communal wave of anxiety
in the open source world. Linux enthusiasts want to replace
the Windows operating systems so badly that Linux version releasing
is starting to emulate other operating systems’ vendor patterns.
Typically these include long waits, missed deadlines, and major
changes that may not be backward compatible. Happily, there are
efforts afoot to correct this trend in Linux development. With the
release of Linux 2.4, more control will be placed on changes, and
upgrades will be available in smaller time intervals.”
“To get right to the point, Linus Torvalds announced in a
keynote speech (delivered Tuesday, June 13, 2000, at a San
Francisco banquet benefitting the Linux Debian Project) that the
next Linux release (2.4) will be out in the fall of 2000. Linux
version 2.2 came about thirty months after the last major release,
Linux 2.0. The Linux 2.0 release was posted eighteen months after
version 1.2 was released. Torvalds said that long delays between
releases would be eliminated through a policy of limiting the
changes made in each release. To meet this release target date,
planned changes and additions which cannot be completed by the
required date will be placed in the following release, 2.5. The
idea is to eliminate the large and often painful upgrade problems
that have happened in the past. Torvalds started adopting the small
modification release philosophy late last year.”