Linux kernel 3.0 released

It could not have been foreseen when Linux 2.6.39 was released in mid-May, but it has now happened: Linux 3.0 is here. The big jump in version number, however, is not there to reflect major changes – Linux 3.0 is simply what would have otherwise been called 2.6.40. While Linux 3.0 doesn't represent the jump that its version number suggests, just like its predecessors in the 2.6 series, it includes hundreds of small and large changes, some of which are quite important for all Linux users.

Among the most significant changes is the addition of a storage backend for Xen, which means that the kernel now contains all the major components required to run as Dom0. There have also been a number of changes to the Btrfs filesystem and to graphics drivers. Kernel developers have, as ever, also added several new drivers and have improved many existing drivers. A feature article on The H gves details on these and many other features in Linux 3.0 in:

• "What's new in Linux 3.0"

which also takes a look at some of the changes which may feature in the upcoming release of Linux 3.1.

More detail on the enhancements in Linux 3.0 are available in the Kernel Log "Coming in..." mini-series for 3.0 which includes detailed listings of the notable commits and changes:

• Coming in 3.0 - Networking
• Coming in 3.0 - Filesystems
• Coming in 3.0 - Architecture, infrastructure and virtualisation
• Coming in 3.0 - Drivers

(crve)