At long last Linux 2.4 has arrived

At long last Linux 2.4 has arrived

By Mary Foley
ZDNet News

January 4, 2001

The much-anticipated next version of the core of the Linux operating system is ready at last.

Linux creator Linus Torvalds and the army of programmers who collectively develop the Linux kernel delivered the final release of the long-awaited 2.4 code Thursday. The code is now available for download.

A pre-release version of the kernel was made available to testers on Dec. 31.

The 2.4 kernel contains several improvements. For desktop use, the most notable improvement is support for the multitude of printers, digital cameras, scanners, keyboards, mice, network cards, modems, Zip drives and other devices that plug into the universal serial bus (USB) port.

For server use, the most significant changes are improvements that will let Linux take better advantage of systems with multiple processors--a key feature for spreading Linux into more powerful servers.

Linux 2.4 is running about a year behind schedule.

Torvalds said in June 1999 that Linux 2.4 would be done that fall. In May 2000, Torvalds acknowledged that 2.4 was likely not to see the light of day until October, since developers were attempting to cram more new, high-end features into the final release. On Oct. 6, at LinuxWorld in Frankfurt, Germany, Torvalds said Linux 2.4 would ship by December.

Linux distributors have been counting on including the 2.4 kernel in versions of their products starting in the first half of 2001.

Red Hat (rhat) has been planning to make the 2.4 kernel the heart of its next release, code-named Florence, due out in the first quarter. Caldera Systems Inc. (cald) has been planning to upgrade to the 2.4 kernel for both its eDesktop and eServer Linux releases in the second quarter.

Linux is a clone of the Unix operating system. It competes with Unix variants such as Sun Microsystem's (sunw) Solaris and with Microsoft's (msft) Windows operating system. Unlike those commercial packages, it can be obtained for free and can be freely modified.

Linux burst onto the scene in 1999, when big computer makers adopted it into their product lines. That popularity led to wild successes on the stock market for a few publicly traded Linux companies, enthusiasm that has since waned.

Mike Ricciuti contributed to this story.