Posted by
timothy
on from the jamie-has-the-munchies dept.
punkmac writes "It's that time again to do the thing we all love to do, compile your shiny new kernel. This time its 2.4.20. The changelog can be found at the usual places, and please use a mirror for all your downloads"
Re:how long will it be...
by
silvaran
·
· Score: 5, Informative
It's not a matter of "Linux" having service packs. I'm assuming you use a specific distribution. You have to trust that distribution to release updates for your system as necessary. You can't binary patch the Linux kernel, because no binaries are released, only source. Red Hat, for example, has binary releases of the kernel (included in their distribution), but doesn't bother releasing service packs, instead they release updates as they see fit (pretty much the same thing).
I don't quite understand the obsession with using the latest and greatest. I'm not going to grab this and compile it for my machine; a) 2.4.19 works fine and b) I skimmed through the changelog and didn't really see anything that affected my situation, and c) My roommate will scream at me if I take down the server just to update the kernel by a double-point revision.
You mentioned when you update the kernel/compiler it breaks a lot of applications. You'll have to be more specific. I can see problems when migrating from a 2.2 kernel to a 2.4 kernel, or from gcc 2.x to gcc 3.x, but if you use one of the major distributions, this is trivial. The thought of using "service packs" on an open source operating system indicates to me that you don't have a clear handle on the way things work in Linux.
Re:how long will it be...
by
delta407
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
Although I am an avid supporter of linux, I have alot of trouble keeping up with the latest version of my principal programs as well as the ever-changing kernal.
Then you would be aware that Linux is the kernel and nothing more. In this instance, your service pack is patch-2.4.20.bz2, and that's it.
installing service packs in windows2000/XP, it updated the kernal and main programs like IE and media player all at once
Here's the thing: Linux doesn't have programs tied into the operating system that much. You could have a running Linux system without using a single GNU tool. As such, proposing service packs for Linux is nonsensical.
but I won't begin to start using [Linux] as my primary OS untill it has service packs.
Linux itself has service packs. Your distribution, on the other hand, is responsible for the rest of the pieces of software on your computer, and each distro has a different means of staying current. RedHat has up2date, Debian has 'apt-get update', and Gentoo has 'emerge -u'. Take your pick.
When's the duplicate show up?
by
Flamesplash
·
· Score: 5, Funny
Hmm this isn't that interesting, I think I'll just wait around for the duplicate article post, maybe it'll be more interesting.;)
-- "Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." - Emily Dickinson
you can do what I'm about to do and change my/. settings to ignore kernel stuff.
Now, how exactly am I going to change your settings?
small VM updates...
by
kinko
·
· Score: 5, Informative
From the changelog....
<hch@lst.de>:
o dump_stack()
o backport yield() and conditional reschedule changes from
o small VM updates from -aa (1/5)
o small VM updates from -aa (2/5)
o small VM updates from -aa (4/5)
o small VM updates from -aa (5/5)
Is this using a Linus definition of small, or a normal definition of small?
Re:small VM updates...
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 5, Funny
Is this using a Linus definition of small, or a normal definition of small?
It's small because part (3/5) contains all the code.
Timothy, haven't you learned your lesson and started paying attention to what you're posting already? I mean, you've already done this today and--
Wait a sec...
Oh sorry, I guess I was developing a reflex action.
</humour>
Re:Important changes?
by
updog
·
· Score: 5, Informative
There was at least one very important change for me personally - support for KT-400 motherboards (by adding support for VIA8235 southbridge). I had gotten 2.4.20-rc3 for this support when I got my new motherboard, but now it's official.
Incedentally, 2.4.19 will sorta work on a KT-400 board, but disk access is really slow because it can't turn on DMA.
For anyone using reiserfs
by
Xpilot
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
There is a significant patch that speeds up write operations for large files on IDE drives by up to 15%. This made it in v2.4.20-pre6.
-- "Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it." -- Linus Torvalds
Re:I'll wait for 2.4.20-ac1 or -ac2. :)
by
darketernal
·
· Score: 5, Informative
You do realize 2.4.20-rc4 was released as 2.4.20 without any changes. Hence, 2.4.20-rc4-ac1 is the -ac1 that you are looking for:)
These changelogs are getting too long...
by
7-Vodka
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
They need to be put in a database so you can click on a hardware device and get a list of patches applied with other query parameters for example.
just my $2*10^-2.00
--
Liberty.
No more printers on fire?
by
xercist
·
· Score: 5, Funny
just reading through the changelog...
Alan Cox (alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk): ...
* replace end user confusing "on fire" joke with real info ...
We've just lost the best part of our kernel!
--
--
grep "xercist"/dev/random...you'll find me in there someday
Re:Apparently
by
mysticalreaper
·
· Score: 5, Informative
Uhm... are you SURE? You sure it's not the new 2.5 development kernel you're talking about? Cause i think if you looked into it, you'd realize that all these massive changes you mentioned, improving threading, I/O, VM and the rest are changes happening in the 2.5 kernel. They are major changes, and very significant. But they're happening in 2.5.
This release is just an incremental release. Bugfixes here, added support there... no major changes, just evolutionary changes.
Good to see the mods are looking for informative comments... however, it's sad when they mod up comments that don't reflect the facts.
The great thing about open source:
by
achurch
·
· Score: 5, Funny
Tips on testing your new kernel
by
goingware
·
· Score: 5, Informative
You should thoroughly test your new kernel before putting it into production. Even if the kernel works well for everyone else, you could personally discover a new bug. You could save yourself a lot of pain by testing first, as well as help the kernel developers.
A while back I wrote a couple articles on Linux kernel testing:
The Open Source Development Lab kindly provides Japanese translations
here.
(The articles are under the GNU Free Documentation License. I would be quite stoked if you copied or translated them. There are articles on other quality topics
here.)
Slashdot Mirror
Don't just use a mirror, get the patch to update your 2.4.19 tree.
It's not a matter of "Linux" having service packs. I'm assuming you use a specific distribution. You have to trust that distribution to release updates for your system as necessary. You can't binary patch the Linux kernel, because no binaries are released, only source. Red Hat, for example, has binary releases of the kernel (included in their distribution), but doesn't bother releasing service packs, instead they release updates as they see fit (pretty much the same thing).
I don't quite understand the obsession with using the latest and greatest. I'm not going to grab this and compile it for my machine; a) 2.4.19 works fine and b) I skimmed through the changelog and didn't really see anything that affected my situation, and c) My roommate will scream at me if I take down the server just to update the kernel by a double-point revision.
You mentioned when you update the kernel/compiler it breaks a lot of applications. You'll have to be more specific. I can see problems when migrating from a 2.2 kernel to a 2.4 kernel, or from gcc 2.x to gcc 3.x, but if you use one of the major distributions, this is trivial. The thought of using "service packs" on an open source operating system indicates to me that you don't have a clear handle on the way things work in Linux.
Here's the thing: Linux doesn't have programs tied into the operating system that much. You could have a running Linux system without using a single GNU tool. As such, proposing service packs for Linux is nonsensical.
Linux itself has service packs. Your distribution, on the other hand, is responsible for the rest of the pieces of software on your computer, and each distro has a different means of staying current. RedHat has up2date, Debian has 'apt-get update', and Gentoo has 'emerge -u'. Take your pick.
Hmm this isn't that interesting, I think I'll just wait around for the duplicate article post, maybe it'll be more interesting. ;)
"Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." - Emily Dickinson
you can do what I'm about to do and change my /. settings to ignore kernel stuff.
Now, how exactly am I going to change your settings?
From the changelog....
<hch@lst.de>:
o dump_stack()
o backport yield() and conditional reschedule changes from
o small VM updates from -aa (1/5)
o small VM updates from -aa (2/5)
o small VM updates from -aa (4/5)
o small VM updates from -aa (5/5)
Is this using a Linus definition of small, or a normal definition of small?
"It's that time again to do the thing we all love to do, compile your shiny new kernel."
*takes long drag*
WHOOOOOOA. that kernel is shiny.
a haiku poster
thinks he's cool as the fall wind
but he's a loser
Wait a sec...
Oh sorry, I guess I was developing a reflex action.
</humour>
There was at least one very important change for me personally - support for KT-400 motherboards (by adding support for VIA8235 southbridge). I had gotten 2.4.20-rc3 for this support when I got my new motherboard, but now it's official.
Incedentally, 2.4.19 will sorta work on a KT-400 board, but disk access is really slow because it can't turn on DMA.
Where can I download the windows version?
Read reviews of shopping cart software
There is a significant patch that speeds up write operations for large files on IDE drives by up to 15%. This made it in v2.4.20-pre6.
"Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it." -- Linus Torvalds
You do realize 2.4.20-rc4 was released as 2.4.20 without any changes. Hence, 2.4.20-rc4-ac1 is the -ac1 that you are looking for :)
just my $2*10^-2.00
Liberty.
just reading through the changelog...
...
...
Alan Cox (alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk):
* replace end user confusing "on fire" joke with real info
We've just lost the best part of our kernel!
--
grep "xercist"
Uhm... are you SURE? You sure it's not the new 2.5 development kernel you're talking about? Cause i think if you looked into it, you'd realize that all these massive changes you mentioned, improving threading, I/O, VM and the rest are changes happening in the 2.5 kernel. They are major changes, and very significant. But they're happening in 2.5.
This release is just an incremental release. Bugfixes here, added support there... no major changes, just evolutionary changes.
Good to see the mods are looking for informative comments... however, it's sad when they mod up comments that don't reflect the facts.
Here's a patch to put it back.
A while back I wrote a couple articles on Linux kernel testing:
-
Why We Should All Test the New Linux Kernel
-
Using Test Suites to Validate the Linux Kernel
The Open Source Development Lab kindly provides Japanese translations here.(The articles are under the GNU Free Documentation License. I would be quite stoked if you copied or translated them. There are articles on other quality topics here.)
-- Could you use my software consulting serv