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Future of 2.4 and 2.6 Kernels

Posted by michael on from the too-many-cooks-spoil-the-soup dept.

Blair16 writes "According to this article on C|Net, not everybody is chomping at the bit for the new Linux 2.6.0 kernel. Marcelo Tosatti, the appointed deputy for the 2.4 kernel is not expecting to make any non-crucial additions to the popular kernel, saying that all new projects should be pumped into the new 2.6. This has upset some people who are not quite willing to move to so-called untested software. Some of their claims seem legitimate, but I wonder if all these people will really be left in the cold?"

2 of 314 comments (clear)

  1. Future of Linux generally by Sanity · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I think a more general question about how Linux is going to topple Microsoft on the desktop is also warrented. The answer has to be innovation, Linux has been playing "catch-up" for too long.

    Fortunately, there are a few really interesting technologies that have received surprisingly little attention, but which I believe point the way toward Linux overtaking Microsoft, and perhaps even Apple on the desktop:

    • Dashboard
      This is a wonderful idea where a "dashboard" essentially acts as a memory augmentation tool. It watches what you are doing and presents information it thinks might be relevant. For example, if you are chatting with someone on IRC, it will look for information about that person and present it to you (such as their name, homepage, recent blog entries etc). Applications can support it by sending it "clue packets" to alert it to what it might want to pay attention to.
    • Zero Install
      This software essentially eliminates the process of information by mapping web-servers to the filesystem, and combining this with a fast local cache. If your software relies on another piece of software, it can just refer to its binary or libraries on this "web" filesystem, and the appropriate files will be downloaded transparently. The next time you need them, they will be cached. It is infinitely cooler than DEBs or RPMs, and very flexible indeed.
    • Gnome Storage
      This project blurs the line between filesystems and databases, creating much more flexibility than is possible with more conventional filesystems. This is particularly powerful when combined with Zero Install. Microsoft is also moving in this direction with their WinFS that will be part of Longhorn.
    These projects are the future of Linux, they are novel ideas that will allow Linux to leap-frog its non-free competitors on the desktop. It is a shame that they receive so little attention.
  2. 2.5 didnt immediately follow 2.4.0 release..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    When Linus released 2.4.0, there was a several
    month pause before opening 2.5.0. This was to
    allow continued bugfix and stabilization work
    to happen on 2.4.0. It seems reasonable that
    he would do the same w/ 2.6/2.7. So, there should
    not be any fear of 2.6 suffering from developer
    inattention in the several months after release.
    If Linus doesn't release 2.7, the developers can't
    ignore 2.6.