A good Linux kernel vintage?

[Nadav Har'El]

On Wed, Nov 16, 2011, Eli Billauer wrote about "Re: A good Linux kernel vintage?":
> Some of you asked what my requirements are. Well, it's pretty
> simple. I want my desktop computer to work. I want to keep my mind
> on the things I'm doing with my computer, and not on why this or
> that happened unexpectedly.
> I would also love it to be multitasking. That means running one
> heavy operation, say compile a kernel or create a huge disk image,
> and meanwhile check my mail. Or watch a Youtube video.

Well, basically, all released kernels fit your description. It's not
like Linus, and a few hundreds of the kernel developers, are going to
release a version, after a few weeks of intensive testing, which doesn't
"work". You could be sure that all of them "love multitasking", and
(of course) "compile a kernel", and also "check their mail" and "watch
youtube videos". So for all this, *all* kernel versions should be fine.

> I'm pretty close to that already, expect for a problem with the
> sound card (worked around with USB speakers) and that disk load bug.

Of course, what is unfortunately bound to happen is that with random
kernel versions you'll see bugs in various uncommon hardware or esoteric
features. E.g., just today I noticed to my great surprise that the Linux 3.0
found on the latest Ubuntu 11.10 broke support for the be2net 10 gigabit
ethernet driver. The driver was fine before 3.0, and also fixed in 3.1 -
but broken in 3.0 :(

> What I really hoped with this question, is that someone who follows
> LKML pretty closely could point at a kernel which has become
> renowned for not having a lot of bug reports about crucial issues.
> One that actually got it right.

What's wrong with 3.1.1? It's the latest version, AND fixes the bugs
found in 3.1. Sounds like the best of both worlds?

-- 
Nadav Har'El                        |                 Wednesday, Nov 16 2011, 
nyh at math.technion.ac.il             |-----------------------------------------
Phone +972-523-790466, ICQ 13349191 |Why do programmers mix up Christmas and
http://nadav.harel.org.il           |Halloween? Because DEC 25 = OCT 31