Thoughts on 2.6.34

“So, as most people will have heard, the 2.6.34 kernel was
released on May 16. Back in February, I was predicting a mid-May
release, so I hit it almost exactly. That says nothing about my
prediction skills, though (which are horrible) and a lot about how
the kernel development process is going. It has become a very
predictable, nearly boring affair.

“The cycle itself is highly predictable: kernel releases are
routinely 10-12 weeks apart with little variation. This is a big
change from the Good Old Days, when the 2.3 kernel was in “feature
freeze” for over a year with no visible progress toward a release
being made. We, as a community, have figured out how to create a
predictable development cycle with little in the way of surprises.
Getting there took a combination of discipline, experience, and
improved tools, but now we have all three.”

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