Linux 2.6.9 Released

An anonymous reader writes "Linux 2.6.9 has been released. Read Linus's official announcement, and go get it!" Better yet, if you hanker for the upgrade, use one of the mirrors instead.

Comments

megaraid 2.20.4: fix a data corruption bug

[dtfinch]

Looks important enough for me.

Re:Stable vs. Development

[turgid]

And are all kernel modules guaranteed to maintain strict binary compatibility across all 2.4 releases, or alternatively across all 2.6 releases? Or is it source compatibility only? Or, is it even that?

No. Even different compiles of the same kernel can be incompatible as far as modules are concerned. It depends on the compiler (and version) you use, the kernel and patches and the configure options. When you compile yourself a new kernel, you should rebuild and reinstall all your modules. You will also have to "recompile" closed-source binary drivers. There come with an open-source "shim" layer to interface with the kernel c.f. nVidia drivers. You then need to go into /etc and frob with the scripts that load the modules at boot time.

The rationale for this design decision was to force vendors to either provide GPL'd drivers for their hardware or at least to open the specs. so that volunteers could implement them themsleves. This has been largely successful, but there are a number of significant instances where this has been a problem, for example accelerated 3D graphics drivers. nVidia has been providing binary modules with a shim for years now, and recently ATI has started doing the same. There are various reasons why in the "real world" drivers can not be open-sourced and specs. can not be divulged. Sadly, we do not live in a GNU utopia.

So, for idealogical reasons, we have this dreadful system of driver modules in Linux.

Please note, I'm actually quite a Linux fan. I've been using it exxclusively at home since 1996 (Slackware all the way). I just think it's maybe time for Linux to grow up and take a leaf out of Solaris' book, for example, and to provide a _stable_ (i.e. unchanging between kernel minor versions at least) binary interface for device drivers and other kernel modules. This would make my life a lot easier and cut down on the recompiles.

Sadly, I fear the ideology might get in the way...