2.5.4 Kernel Out

Saint Aardvark writes: "Just in time for my 30th birthday, the new kernel is out...how did he know? Thanks, Linus! Change log here. I usually stick to stable stuff, but I think I'll try this for fun." Reader Scooby Snacks writes: "Be sure to use the patches and pick from the fine list of mirrors."

Comments

Re:New Topic Please

[Dredd13]

I don't think I was trolling at all, I'm actually really sick of having to wade through kernel announcements.

.0's are newsworthy

.FINAL_VERSION's are newsworthy

.PATCH_OF_THE_WEEK's are not "Stuff that matters" for the majority of folks out there. If you ARE one of the folks that it matters for, chances are you're monitoring the kernel.org site already.

Just my $0.02 worth anyhow....

Re:Yeah, but

[Dredd13]

And if there was a separate "LinuxKernelReleases" topic, both of us would be happy. you could get your "news" (which I don't consider news, but that's here nor there), and myself (and others) could simply check that box to say "Don't show me these stories".

And life would be happy all around. See how nice that'd work if TPTB @ /. would just use the Slash engine the way it's designed to work? :-)

D

Designed?

[wiredog]

use the Slash engine the way it's designed to work?

The slash engine was designed? I thought it just sort of grew. Like a fungus.

A'course, I haven't actually looked at it in a few years. The first release was traumatic.

Re:New Topic Please

[hal200]

I'm not trying to troll here, but I don't get it. Maybe it's just me, but is it really so onerous to read a headline and move on if you're not interested? (Just to go on the record though, I happen to like the Kernel X.Y.Z is out! news items.)

Are you paying for your desktop real estate by the pixel or something?

I rather effectively screen out JonKatz by reading the headline, and seeing the big green JonKatz underneath. Then I know it's drivel and I move on.

I just don't understand the motivation behind, "I should be able to filter this out!"...It's not like they're forcing you to read the article and all the comments. Just move along if it doesn't pique your interest. Considering how many stories flit past the front page in a day (and more with judicious use of Slashboxes), it's not hard to find something more personally interesting.

Then again, maybe I'm just being obtuse. Anyone care to enlighten me?

Collective scream...

[powerlinekid]

7:58 - Slashdot post that new kernel is out

7:59 - "Bleeding edge" kernel hackers start downloading it

8:30 - download finally is over, start unpacking it

8:35 - ooh and ah over new features in config

8:40 - start compiling, so far so good

8:55 - kernels done, reboot

8:56 - system is as fast as ever and that leet hardware is now supported

8:59 - file system gets fscked due to some small oversight

9:00 - a large scream is heard through country

9:10 - screaming stops

9:20 - hacker finally remembers that its the 2nd #, not the 3rd that means the kernel is unstable

9:30 - i laugh

Major breakage in this kernel.

[worldwideweber]

There was a change to the API in this kernel release which breaks a bunch of drivers for the moment. Specifically, all drivers that allocate buffers using the kmalloc/__get_free_pages and virt_to_bus will not link. Right now, I can see atleast two groups of drivers affected: some USB, and the PCI sound drivers.

Even if you don't see the above problem, this kernel will not compile (atleast on most i386 systems) without the following patch:

--- linux-2.5.4/include/asm-i386/processor.h Sun Feb 10 22:00:29 2002
+++ 25/include/asm-i386/processor.h Sun Feb 10 22:21:53 2002
@@ -435,14 +435,7 @@ extern int kernel_thread(int (*fn)(void
/* Copy and release all segment info associated with a VM */
extern void copy_segments(struct task_struct *p, struct mm_struct * mm);
extern void release_segments(struct mm_struct * mm);
-
-/*
- * Return saved PC of a blocked thread.
- */
-static inline unsigned long thread_saved_pc(struct task_struct *tsk)
-{
- return ((unsigned long *)tsk->thread->esp)[3];
-}
+extern unsigned long thread_saved_pc(struct task_struct *tsk);

unsigned long get_wchan(struct task_struct *p);
#define KSTK_EIP(tsk) (((unsigned long *)(4096+(unsigned long)(tsk)->thread_info))[1019])
--- linux-2.5.4/arch/i386/kernel/process.c Sun Feb 10 22:00:28 2002
+++ 25/arch/i386/kernel/process.c Sun Feb 10 22:26:35 2002
@@ -55,6 +55,14 @@ asmlinkage void ret_from_fork(void) __as
int hlt_counter;

/*
+ * Return saved PC of a blocked thread.
+ */
+unsigned long thread_saved_pc(struct task_struct *tsk)
+{
+ return ((unsigned long *)tsk->thread.esp)[3];
+}
+
+/*
* Powermanagement idle function, if any..
*/
void (*pm_idle)(void);

-
-