exclusive Linus Torvalds explains why the unexpected resilience of kernel version 2.6 has delayed the move to kernel version 2.7. In this two minute video he said that when work started on 2.6, he was worried that major changes would destabilise the kernel.
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On the second day of Linux.conf.au in Sydney, Linus Torvalds revealed that he was surprised by the resilience of the 2.6 Linux kernel to "invasive" changes.
"One of the original worries was that we would not be able to make big changes within the confines of the development model ... I always said that if there is something so fundamental that everything will break then we will start at 2.7 at that point.
"We have been able to do fairly invasive things even while not actually destabilising the kernel. It has surprised me and other people how well we have been able to do big changes that did not cause havoc.
"Sometimes it has been slightly painful," he added.
Torvalds also talked about why "unfriendly" kernel developers are making it more difficult attracting new blood. Click here to see this three minute video.
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