On Mon, Jun 09, 2025 at 08:37:05AM -0600, Jonathan Corbet wrote: > Dante Strock <dantestrock@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes: > > > diff --git a/Documentation/process/2.Process.rst b/Documentation/process/2.Process.rst > > index ef3b116492df..70f8a6603454 100644 > > --- a/Documentation/process/2.Process.rst > > +++ b/Documentation/process/2.Process.rst > > @@ -18,17 +18,17 @@ major kernel release happening every two or three months. The recent > > release history looks like this: > > > > ====== ================= > > - 5.0 March 3, 2019 > > - 5.1 May 5, 2019 > > - 5.2 July 7, 2019 > > - 5.3 September 15, 2019 > > - 5.4 November 24, 2019 > > - 5.5 January 6, 2020 > > + 6.10 July 14, 2024 > > + 6.11 September 15, 2024 > > + 6.12 November 17, 2024 > > + 6.13 January 20, 2025 > > + 6.14 March 24, 2025 > > + 6.15 May 25, 2025 > > ====== ================= > > > > -Every 5.x release is a major kernel release with new features, internal > > +Every 6.x release is a major kernel release with new features, internal > > API changes, and more. A typical release can contain about 13,000 > > -changesets with changes to several hundred thousand lines of code. 5.x is > > +changesets with changes to several hundred thousand lines of code. 6.x is > > the leading edge of Linux kernel development; the kernel uses a > > rolling development model which is continually integrating major changes. > > I do not object to these change and could apply this, but it might be > nice at some point to rephrase this stuff so that we don't end up doing > these updates repeatedly. After all, we'll be at 7.x within a year... What about not hard-coding first version number component like below? ---- >8 ---- diff --git a/Documentation/process/2.Process.rst b/Documentation/process/2.Process.rst index ef3b116492df08..47bcc6248a1338 100644 --- a/Documentation/process/2.Process.rst +++ b/Documentation/process/2.Process.rst @@ -13,24 +13,12 @@ how the process works is required in order to be an effective part of it. The big picture --------------- -The kernel developers use a loosely time-based release process, with a new -major kernel release happening every two or three months. The recent -release history looks like this: - - ====== ================= - 5.0 March 3, 2019 - 5.1 May 5, 2019 - 5.2 July 7, 2019 - 5.3 September 15, 2019 - 5.4 November 24, 2019 - 5.5 January 6, 2020 - ====== ================= - -Every 5.x release is a major kernel release with new features, internal -API changes, and more. A typical release can contain about 13,000 -changesets with changes to several hundred thousand lines of code. 5.x is -the leading edge of Linux kernel development; the kernel uses a -rolling development model which is continually integrating major changes. +The kernel developers use a loosely time-based, rolling release development +process. A new major kernel release (a.x) happens every two or three months, +which comes with new features, internal API changes, and more. A typical +release can contain about 13,000 changesets with changes to several hundred +thousand lines of code. Recent releases, along with their dates, can be found +at `Linux Kernel Newbies site <https://kernelnewbies.org/LinuxVersions>`_. A relatively straightforward discipline is followed with regard to the merging of patches for each release. At the beginning of each development @@ -46,13 +34,12 @@ merge window do not come out of thin air; they have been collected, tested, and staged ahead of time. How that process works will be described in detail later on). -The merge window lasts for approximately two weeks. At the end of this -time, Linus Torvalds will declare that the window is closed and release the -first of the "rc" kernels. For the kernel which is destined to be 5.6, -for example, the release which happens at the end of the merge window will -be called 5.6-rc1. The -rc1 release is the signal that the time to -merge new features has passed, and that the time to stabilize the next -kernel has begun. +The merge window lasts for approximately two weeks. At the end of this time, +Linus Torvalds will declare that the window is closed and release the first of +the "rc" kernels. For the kernel which is destined to be a.x, the release +which happens at the end of the merge window will be called a.x-rc1. That +release is the signal that the time to merge new features has passed, and that +the time to stabilize the next kernel has begun. Over the next six to ten weeks, only patches which fix problems should be submitted to the mainline. On occasion a more significant change will be @@ -99,13 +86,13 @@ release is made. In the real world, this kind of perfection is hard to achieve; there are just too many variables in a project of this size. There comes a point where delaying the final release just makes the problem worse; the pile of changes waiting for the next merge window will grow -larger, creating even more regressions the next time around. So most 5.x +larger, creating even more regressions the next time around. So most kernels go out with a handful of known regressions though, hopefully, none of them are serious. Once a stable release is made, its ongoing maintenance is passed off to the "stable team," currently Greg Kroah-Hartman. The stable team will release -occasional updates to the stable release using the 5.x.y numbering scheme. +occasional updates to the stable release using the a.x.y numbering scheme. To be considered for an update release, a patch must (1) fix a significant bug, and (2) already be merged into the mainline for the next development kernel. Kernels will typically receive stable updates for a little more Thanks. -- An old man doll... just what I always wanted! - Clara
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