linux-kernel - Re: [RFC] Kernel version numbering scheme change

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Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.1.10.0810181848430.11267@asgard.lang.hm>
Date:	Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:50:27 -0700 (PDT)
From:	david@...g.hm
To:	Jiri Kosina <jkosina@...e.cz>
cc:	"Rafael J. Wysocki" <rjw@...k.pl>, Greg KH <greg@...ah.com>,
	Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
	Steven Noonan <steven@...inklabs.net>,
	Adrian Bunk <bunk@...nel.org>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [RFC] Kernel version numbering scheme change

On Sun, 19 Oct 2008, Jiri Kosina wrote:

> On Fri, 17 Oct 2008, david@...g.hm wrote:
>
>>> Surely some scripts will start to break as soon as the third number gets
>>> three digits.
>> we've had three digit numbers in the third position before (2.3 and 2.5
>> went well past three digits IIRC)
>
> Did we? I only recall 2.5.7[something] and 2.3.5[something] (plus special
> 2.3.99 release).

I know some versions have (I remember deploying 2.1.116 on a box across 
the country with no way to get at it afterwords)

>>> Actually, I thought we could continue to use a w.x.y.z numbering
>>> scheme, but in such a way that:
>>> w = ($year - 2000) / 10 + 2 (so that we start from 2)
>>> x = $year % 10
>>> y = (number of major release in $year)
>>> z = (number of stable version for major release w.x.y)
>>> Then, the first major release in 2009 would be 2.9.1 and its first
>>> -stable "child" would become 2.9.1.1.  In turn, the first major
>>> release in 2010 could be 3.0.1 and so on.
>> if you want the part of the version number to increment based on the year,
>> just make it the year and don't complicate things.
>
> In addition to that, having the kernel version dependent on year doesn't
> really seem to make much sense to me. Simply said, I don't see any
> relation of kernel source code contents to the current date in whatever
> calendar system.

it does give an indication of how out of date the kernel you are using is.

> And 2.x+1.y-rcZ+1 immediately following 2.x.y-rcZ really hurts my eyes :)

that I agree with.

David Lang
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