Linux faces major test as kernel released

The Linux 2.4 kernel is finally with us but it faces testing times ahead before it convinces users that it is the operating system of choice.

The latest release broke Linus Torvalds' deadline of December 2000, but in a message on the kernel mailing list, the 'father of Linux' said he'd decided "enough is enough, and that things don't get better from having the same people test it over and over again. In short, 2.4.0 is out there."

Referring to himself as "the exhausted release manager", he signed off by telling the industry to "have fun" but warned "don't bother reporting any bugs for the next few days. I won't care anyway."

But bugs are what it's all about. The new release is a major upgrade. The kernel now promises symmetric multiprocessing scalability to attract users who want to run corporate applications on Linux-based servers.

It also supports IA-64, IBM's S/390 mainframe, and has expanded hardware support with various new drivers for hardware like USB and 3D-accelerated graphics cards.

George Weiss, research director for Gartner in server and operating systems, said: "This is a major release. Users don't run mission critical applications on .0 releases. It will be at least six to nine months, maybe even a year, before we can judge whether it lives up to its reputation."

"To say it will mean the death of Risc Unix is propaganda and hype," he added.

"Implementations need to be tested and performance benchmarks run on it for levels of scalability. New technology rarely means that everything before will become volcanic ash in its path."

The fact that the kernel has evolved so far could deter some users in the short-term. "It has been put on new iron, IA-64, which in itself is a breakthrough," said Weiss.

"They have to work extremely well together, which will be a huge test. If VA Linux, Dell or others ship systems with the new kernel with faults, it could quickly smother the enthusiasm for Linux."