From: Linus Torvalds Subject: Linux v2.0 released Date: Sat, 09 Jun 1996 21:29:02 GMT =====BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE===== I have made version 2.0 of the Linux kernel available on the normal kernel ftp-sites, from which it will surely be mirrored within hours to other sites too (so the astute reader will try to look at other mirror sites first, in order to avoid total ftp overload). The sites I have uploaded them to are ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/Linux/PEOPLE/Linus/v2.0 ftp://ftp.cs.helsinki.fi/pub/Software/Linux/Kernel/v2.0 And the md5sum's and sizes for the files are: 7085b44c1bbd359870fcc72257ea2088 20724 Changes ea45397265c364f0d98300d6df33576f 16335 Logo.gif 2b84db0bdc87bbba1204dc2418c67724 561 Logo.txt e693cf603bc6dcb5970bee83c5b464df 5843677 linux-2.0.tar.gz and a patch from pre2.0.14 is available in the v1.3 subdirectory: 6d88195391620d4880779677b712da4f patch-pre2.0.14-final2.0.gz NOTE! Some of the changes since 1.2.x have resulted in some old binaries or setups breaking, usually because the kernel got more careful about checking parameters or because some very system-specific things have changed. "Normal" user-level binaries are generally not affected, but there are incompatibilities with some versions of "init", for example, and old versions of "ps" and "top" are known to have problems with the new kernel. In order to make the transition smoother, the "Changes" file tries to point out most of these known problems, along with sites you can get updated software from. Please read that file before sending in a "bug" report. Ok, over to more fun things.. Linux now has a logo thanks to the artistic talents of Larry Ewing, and one version (the "pretty" version) is included with the kernel. Some people have told me they don't think a fat penguin really embodies the grace of Linux, which just tells me they have never seen a angry penguin charging at them in excess of 100mph. They'd be a lot more careful about what they say if they had. As to what has changed since the last stable version (1.2.13).. Umm.. I haven't used a 1.2.x kernel in a _long_ while, and I don't rightly remember everything we're doing differently now, but here are the main changes since 1.2: - multiarchitecture support. The standard Linux-2.0 kernel directly supports both intel x86 (and clones) and Digital Alpha machines. Quite a few other architectures are also very close to being "official". - multiprocessor support. Yes, you can buy one of those dual Pentium (or Pentium Pro) motherboards, and Linux will actually take advantage of multiple CPU's. - improved filesystem caching, allowing faster cache lookups and caching of filesystems without any associated block device (notably NFS). - improved performance in various areas, notably networking and process handling. - better support for various devices: support for controllers that 1.2 didn't know about, and improved support for some things that 1.2 had just started to be aware of. - writable shared memory mapping support and support for file descriptor passing with UNIX domain sockets (the two major "normal UNIX" things that Linux-1.2 didn't have). The version number jump from 1.2 -> 2.0 is due to the first two major conceptual changes, while the performance improvements are probably the main reason for getting a new kernel on hardware that ran 1.2 happily too. Did I forget something? Linus =====BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE===== Version: 2.6.2i iQCVAwUBMbtB6IQRll5MupLRAQGKZgP/YsG6HDbrWpz/enB6Ep6+vN+on5JSHyH0 PihLbAwe3R76nnB7XO8UZpY7vCo2n1UXpmiGzIs41vm1hrBlL5mPCU/WmHeytw1q 1ZwLOJmlKV1EgHHZHYYH6PqF4fQ4oUvayvlvTU8rb/afhLXIB8tDB3GkEPPSseQ6 DobMUtYawXM= =yNjr =====END PGP SIGNATURE===== -- This article has been digitally signed by the moderator, using PGP. Finger wirzeniu@kruuna.helsinki.fi for PGP key needed for validating signature. Send submissions for comp.os.linux.announce to: linux-announce@news.ornl.gov PLEASE remember a short description of the software and the LOCATION.