Blog 6 - Linux Kernels

The newest linux kernel is 2.6.x. The 2 stands for the version, the .6 stands for a major revision and the .x is the minor revision. Linux uses an odd - even numbered system. The odd numbers stand for the lastest development revision which may have bugs in it and the even numbers stand for the latest stable revision. This means that version 2.5 evolved into 2.6 after all of the errors and bugs have been worked out. Now there is even a fourth number such as 2.6.8.1 which shows there was a very minor change. The reason behind this is to get the development versions out there so they can be worked on by more people to get the bugs out. If you are not a developer and want the most secure version you should always go for an even numbered version.