this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I remember when 2.6 was new but already mainline and all the hardcore 2.4 nerd where telling how everything was better in 2.4 and 2.6 is full of shit
As it is tradition
I remember 2.2 to 2.4 and to 2.6. Quite a lot of networking changes there and I wonder if lot of the complaints were people annoyed they needed to change firewall configurations and the like.
If I recall right 2.2 had ipfwadm, 2.4 had ipchains and 2.6 introduced iptables we're familiar with now. That was mildly annoying for me and I was a young geeky oik with plenty of time on my hands. It'd probably annoy me a lot more now.
I remember being irritated having to switch from ipchains to iptables lol. "Goddamnit I just learned ipchains now you're changing it again??"
Differences between 2.4 and 2.6 were quite big, I don't think there was another such big change in kernel releases any time later. But that was also the time when Linux was transitioning from being a hobby project (already useful for serious stuff) to being a serious professional operating system – the last moment for major refactoring.
Linux kernel is still changing and being constantly refactored, but now the changes tend to be more gradual and version numbers matter much less.
The 2.5 development only tree had a ton of behind the scenes big long projects that weren't visible to users until the stable 2.6 dropped and everything suddenly changed.
Like a complete redesign of the scheduling code especially but not exclusively for multiprocessor systems, swapping much of the networking stack, and the change from devfs to udev.
If you hold udev up next to devd and devpubd that solve similar problems on the BSDs, it's a clear leap into "Linux will do bespoke binary interfaces, and DSLs for configuration and policy, and similar traditionally un-UNIX-y things that trade accepting complex state and additional abstractions to make things faster and less brittle to misconfiguration" which is the path that the typical Linux pluming has continued down with eg. Systemd.
A lot of modern Kernel development flow is about never having that kind of divergence and sudden epoch change again.
2.6 was my first kernel I believe. As far as I know, after that the version number cycle was sped up a lot so now we get a bunch of small things every new version instead of half a new kernel between two versions.
I remember that time! When I started, 2.0 was out and 2.2 was around the corner and people were excited because 2.2 would make things better. Then with the 2.4 to 2.6 it changed and after that I don't remember much drama.
This sounds familiar. That was like 03 right? I think I was running Linux on an old Thinkpad 760 as a dirt cheap pentest platform. I think it was redhat maybe. I had Mandrake (Mandriva) on a Pentium mmx and Yellowdog on a Power Mac (7600 maybe). And a home net. And dialup lol.
I still have the Thinkpad around here somewhere... I should boot that old boat anchor up again for nostalgia's sake.
The SCO drama days.
Ah, yes the memories. I followed it pretty closely, happily forgot most of it. I'm somehow reminded of Groklaw.