Re: RFD: Kernel release numbering

Adrian Bunk
2005-03-04T23:52:14Z

On Fri, Mar 04, 2005 at 12:37:05PM -0800, Linus Torvalds wrote:
>...
> I used to do "-pre", a long time ago. Exactly because they were
> synchronization points for developers.
>...
> So the point of -pre's are gone. Have people actually _looked_ at the -rc
> releases? They are very much done when I reach the point and say "ok,
> let's calm down". The first one is usually pretty big and often needs some
> fixing, simply because the first one is _inevitably_ (and by design) the
> one that gets the pent-up demand from the previous calming down period.
>
> But it's very much a call to "ok, guys, calm down now".

My impression about your releases is that -rc1 is a first snapshot, but
there are still invasive changes until -rc3 or -rc4 when you _really_
say "only obvious bug fixes will be accepted".

It's _only about naming_:

Name the first one -pre1 instead of -rc1 and the snapshot you announce
with "only obvious bug fixes will be accepted" -rc1.

It might not matter for you how it's called, but it does matter for
other people and it doesn't cost you any extra effort.

> And if you aren't calming down, it's _your_ problem. Complaining about
> naming of -pre vs -rc is pointless.
>...

If I send a non-bugfix patch to Marcelo after 2.4.30-rc1 he'll say:
"Thanks, queued for 2.4.31 ."

> Linus

cu
Adrian

--

"Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
"Only a promise," Lao Er said.
Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed