Re: Linux 2.6.8-rc1

Paolo Ciarrocchi
2004-07-12T20:34:42Z

On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 09:43:54 -0700 (PDT), Linus Torvalds
<torvalds@osdl.org> wrote:
>
>
> On Mon, 12 Jul 2004, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> >
> > The Linux kernel development process isn't that much formalized. But if
> > someone finds a serious new problem in a -rc kernel a fix will usually
> > go into the next -rc.
>
> Indeed.
>
> The whole _point_ of -rc kernels is to find silly problems.
>
> Trying to have a release mechanism for -rc kernels in order to avoid some
> problems in them would kind of defeat the point. The -rc kernels are there
> to encourage people who wouldn't want to just take a daily shapshot to
> tell us when we break things - and clearly it's working ;)

Again, I'm really not saying that is not working ;-),
I just think that the process could be improved using the tools we
already have available.

> (There's also a totally nontechnical point to -rc kernels: it's a way to
> tell people to calm down a bit. Usually we have a backlog that gets filled
> up after a kernel release, and then with the -rc kernels people usually
> slow down feeding non-critical stuff to me. At least a bit)
>

--
paoloc.doesntexist.org