Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

[Posted November 5, 2018 by corbet]

Linus has released 4.20-rc1 and closed the merge window for this development cycle. "So I did debate calling it 5.0, but if we all help each other, I'm sure we can count to 20. It's a nice round number, and I didn't want to make a pattern of it. I think 5.0 happens next year, because then I *really* run out of fingers and toes."

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 5, 2018 13:36 UTC (Mon) by Xiol (guest, #87394) [Link]

Looking forward to blazing this one.

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 5, 2018 14:26 UTC (Mon) by mricon (subscriber, #59252) [Link] (4 responses)

The upcoming Kernel Summit is going to be held in Vancouver, Canada -- the country that has recently fully legalized cannabis for recreational use. The numbering seems extremely well timed. :)

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 5, 2018 14:44 UTC (Mon) by sashal (✭ supporter ✭, #81842) [Link] (3 responses)

I wonder if this is the solution to all our CoC concerns...

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 5, 2018 15:24 UTC (Mon) by ms-tg (subscriber, #89231) [Link] (2 responses)

> I wonder if this is the solution to all our CoC concerns...

Genuine question, please take in a spirit of good-faith engagement: Are there folks in the tech community who are taking offense right now at all the drug-culture joking around the 4.20 version? I don't mean to imply that I am. But with the increased sensitivity to a fairly broad range of humor contexts that are no longer considered acceptable, I am wondering if this may be another significant area of sensitivity that is currently being poked at?

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 5, 2018 15:28 UTC (Mon) by lkundrak (subscriber, #43452) [Link]

> Are there folks in the tech community who are taking offense right now at all the drug-culture joking around the 4.20 version?

Chances are pretty high.

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 5, 2018 18:56 UTC (Mon) by armijn (subscriber, #3653) [Link]

Not offended, but it fits in the same category as "free as in beer" in my opinion: a silly joke that doesn't help advance the software itself and just make whoever makes the joke look stupid. If you want to smoke in celebration then by all means do, but please don't associate "open source" or "free software" with it. It's not hippie stuff ;-)

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 5, 2018 15:53 UTC (Mon) by naptastic (guest, #60139) [Link] (2 responses)

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Year Of The Linux Desktop.

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 6, 2018 22:48 UTC (Tue) by mtaht (subscriber, #11087) [Link] (1 responses)

Duuuuuuuuuude.

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 7, 2018 23:24 UTC (Wed) by johnsoda (guest, #127477) [Link]

By a Dell? ________ .oO

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 9, 2018 16:47 UTC (Fri) by summentier (guest, #100638) [Link] (1 responses)

It bugs me a little bit that the major--minor version split does not mean anything anymore.

How about one extrapolates 5.0 to a new rule, i.e., the first -rc1 in the new year increments the major version number? This way, one knows kernel x.y-rc1 was released in the year (x+2014) and the major digit becomes useful again!

Yes, yes, I know there are probably more important discussions to be had, but since I don't know the first thing about the technical side, I take pride in bike-shedding.

Kernel prepatch 4.20-rc1

Posted Nov 12, 2018 17:27 UTC (Mon) by chfisher (subscriber, #106449) [Link]

Or since there is nothing magical about 5.0 - how about 2019.0-rc1, with the major version being the year number - no conversion needed.