For those wondering what's new: “So what are the big changes? NOTHING. Absolutely nothing. Sure, we have the usual two thirds driver changes, and a lot of random fixes, but the point is that 3.0 is just about renumbering, we are very much not doing a KDE-4 or a Gnome-3 here. No breakage, no special scary new features, nothing at all like that. We've been doing time-based releases for many years now, this is in no way…
Linux 3.0-rc1 is here
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Re: Linux 3.0-rc1 is here
#32"Version numbers? We can increment them!" -- Linus Torvalds
Re: Linux 3.0-rc1 is here
#33Re: Linux 3.0-rc1 is here
#34Re: Linux 3.0-rc1 is here
#35For those wondering what's new: “So what are the big changes? NOTHING. Absolutely nothing. Sure, we have the usual two thirds driver changes, and a lot of random fixes, but the point is that 3.0 is just about renumbering, we are very much not doing a KDE-4 or a Gnome-3 here. No breakage, no special scary new features, nothing at all like that. We've been doing time-based releases for many years now, this is in no way…
I didn't know you were quoting Linus, you should make it more obvious.
Re: Linux 3.0-rc1 is here
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
It shouldn't. Open source version numbers greater than 1.0 dont mean a whole lot. Chrome, the browser, around version 8 (give or take). How much sense does that make?
Chrome is on version #11 in stable. #12 and #13 are in beta and dev respectively.
Re: Linux 3.0-rc1 is here
#37But now it doesn't mean that. It means 20 years.
There are extremely good reasons not to increment the major version. For instance tools which take the conservative approach of checking for 2.6 will all be broken. Those tools correctly elected not to risk wrong behavior resulting from a major version change.
When you add together the time it takes to compensate for this change for all maintainers everywhere (tools developers, distro developers, everyone), surely it will run into the hundreds of hours, perhaps thousands. All for, functionally, nothing. And sorry for calling you Shirley.
Seems to be an objectively bad move. Oh well. This needless-on-purpose change will cause resentment, but after time it will dissipate.
Re: Linux 3.0-rc1 is here
#38I know they invented git, but that website sure is fugly. Time to switch to github, perhaps :-).
There is a nice open-source (which github is not) web front-end for git repos, http://www.gitalist.com/ , and would you believe it, even they use git-web on their website.
Re: Linux 3.0-rc1 is here
#39Seems a bit strange to me. A major version increment is supposed to announce "this is significantly different and possibly incompatible". But now it doesn't mean that. It means 20 years. There are extremely good reasons not to increment the major version. For instance tools which take the conservative approach of checking for 2.6 will all be broken. Those tools correctly elected not to risk wrong behavior resulting f…
Re: Linux 3.0-rc1 is here
#40One the one hand, the "benevolent dictator" model has shown itself to work pretty well for Linux, compared to some major failings of the "committee" model on other projects. On the other hand, does anyone think the fact that "major" changes can be done by one person who is "just going all alpha-male" will potentially spook people? I mean, I doubt too many people here on hn have a problem with Linus' personality. I im…
That said, his Google Tech Talk on git, which turned into a rant against SVN/CVS users did lower my respect for his personal skills.