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Linux Kernel v2.6.23 Released

Posted by kdawson on from the worth-the-wait dept.

diegocgteleline.es writes "After 3 months, Linus has released Linux 2.6.23. This version includes the new and shiny CFS process scheduler, a simpler read-ahead mechanism, the lguest 'Linux-on-Linux' paravirtualization hypervisor, XEN guest support, KVM smp guest support, and variable process argument length. SLUB is now the default slab allocator, there's SELinux protection for exploiting null dereferences using mmap, XFS and ext4 improvements, PPP over L2TP support. Also the 'lumpy' reclaim algorithm, a userspace driver framework, the O_CLOEXEC file descriptor flag, splice improvements, a new fallocate() syscall, lock statistics, support for multiqueue network devices, various new drivers, and many other minor features and fixes. See the changelog for details."

6 of 346 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Answer: Linux will never be GPL3. by sconeu · · Score: 4, Informative

    No, the problem is finding *all* the copyright holders and getting them to agree to GPLv3.

    The copyright holder can license the code however he damn well pleases.

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  2. Re:Answer: Linux will never be GPL3. by phantomlord · · Score: 4, Informative
    [citation needed yourself]

    What Linus said was "I was impressed in the sense that it was a hell of a lot better than the disaster that were the earlier drafts. I still think GPLv2 is simply the better license."

    A couple days later, he expresses more angst with the GPLv3 and the FSF.

    The bottom line is

    I consider dual-licensing unlikely (and technically quite hard), but at least _possible_ in theory. I have yet to see any actual *reasons* for licensing under the GPLv3, though. All I've heard are shrill voices about "tivoization" (which I expressly think is ok) and panicked worries about Novell-MS (which seems way overblown, and quite frankly, the argument seems to not so much be about the Novell deal, as about an excuse to push the GPLv3). So... I'd hardly say, as you did, that he doesn't mind the GPLv3. In fact, the FSF shills really ticked off a lot of kernel devs by trying to berate them into switching to the GPLv3 back in June/July.
    --
    Don't leave your mind so open that your brain falls out. Don't close it so much that you cut off the blood.
  3. Re:Answer: Linux will never be GPL3. by QuantumG · · Score: 5, Informative

    Dude, if you actually read the kernel mailing list you would know that Linus has said that he can change the license whenever he wants. All he has to do is post a notice to the list, and add the same notice to the license file specifying a date when the license will switch over. Anyone who doesn't agree will have an opportunity to opt-out, at which point their code will be pulled out and rewritten, or opt-in. The ones that don't do either can be assumed to opt-in until such time as they complain.

    This has been done before.. with the syscall interface exception.

    Stop repeating myths and do some research.

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
  4. Re:Ummm. Neat. by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Informative

    "It takes a specific type of person to get Linux running and to a point where it can be productive even for nontechnical users (which is the majority of users that use computers)"

    WTF???

    Linux installation for dummies, PHBs and Windows sysadmins (but I repeat myself)

    1. Stick a second hard disk in your machine (don't be a cheap SOB - the OS is free, give it some room to live)
    2. Stick a modern distro in the dvd drive.
    3. Boot up
    4. click for your time zone and geographic location
    5. Tell it that its okay to start your internet connection automagically.
    6. click on the packages you want (or just accept the defaults if you don't know what you're doing)
    7. set your partitions the way you want (or just accept the defaults if you don't know what you're doing)
    8. click ok
    9. go do other stuff while the dvd installs 5 gigs of software ...
    10. enter your root password, a user account and password.
    11. click okay
    12. watch as your computer boots into your new linux install.
    13. pick the gui you wnat to use
    14. log in
    15. do whatever you want - your web browser(s), office suite(s), email program(s), server(s), etc., are already installed and configured.

    If you can't follow that, print it out and pay some PFY* in grade 9 $20.00 to help you.

    (if you don't recognize the reference, you're obviously new here and deserve to be beaten with a clue-by-four, both ways, in the snow, etc...)

  5. real Linux news from 2 weeks ago by hexfortyfive · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not to nitpick, but the milw0rm main page says '2007-09-27' beside that exploit. I'd hardly call that today's Linux news.

  6. Re:Why do that much work? by SnowZero · · Score: 5, Informative

    ...and watch Theo actually turn into a demon.