Re: RFD: Kernel release numbering

Jeff Garzik
2005-03-03T21:24:42Z

As a further elaboration...

The problem with the current 2.6-rc setup is a _human_ _communications_
problem.

Users have been trained in a metaphor that is applied uniformly across
all software projects that use the metaphor:

test release: a useful merge/testing point
release candidate: bugfixes only, test test test

Linux does it differently.

It's hard enough to get users to test... now we have raised the
barrier even higher by abusing a common metaphor. A metaphor that is
used _succesfully_ elsewhere to get users to test.

"release candidate" is a promise to users that the current tree is close
to what the release will look like, and only major fixes will appear
between -rc and -final.

We broke that promise. In human interface terms, this is like
redefining the "garbage can" icon to mean "save your work." ;-)

Jeff