From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Tue, 31 Dec 2002 20:40:23 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Tue, 31 Dec 2002 20:40:23 -0500 Received: from smtp.comcast.net ([24.153.64.2]:45867 "EHLO smtp.comcast.net") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Tue, 31 Dec 2002 20:40:23 -0500 Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 20:58:29 -0500 From: Joshua Stewart Subject: Production vs development version numbers To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Message-id: <1041386309.16613.5.camel@localhost.localdomain> MIME-version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Ximian Evolution 1.0.8 (1.0.8-10) Content-type: text/plain Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org I understand that even numbered versions are considered "stable" releases and odd numbers represent development versions, but there are some details I don't yet understand. If an even version is "stable", what types of differences are there between different patch levels of an even version, for example 2.4.x and 2.4.y. Are these bug fixes, performance boosters, or functionality additions? Also, when fixes are made to a stable version kernel, such as those added to 2.4.19 to give us 2.4.20, do those fixes get incorporated into the current development version as well? Thanks, Josh (a kernel newbie)