[ Thanks to Michael
S. Mimoso for this link. ]
“Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds released a test version of
the Linux 2.6 kernel called test9 last weekend, a sure sign that a
production version of the next kernel is fast approaching. Torvalds
and 2.6 kernel maintainer Andrew Morton hope enterprise IT shops
will download, install and test the kernel and report back an
issues in a timely fashion in order to include it in a stable,
production version. In this e-mail exchange with
SearchEnterpriseLinux.com, Torvalds explains what kind of insight
he hopes to gain from enterprises that install test9 and reveals a
tentative release date for the kernel.“Test9 is an opportunity to gather feedback from the
user community on the 2.6 kernel. Are you particularly anxious to
hear from users on any particular features of the 2.6 kernel? Any
anxieties about a particular feature or enhancement?“Linus Torvalds: No, there’s no particular
feature that I feel extra anxious over, but the wide testing is
important partly because different people have different usage
patterns, and those patterns trigger things that could otherwise
have fallen through the cracks. This is particularly true with
regard to hardware: getting a wide and varied test base to make
sure updated drivers work reliably in all configurations…”