Rafe, It's simple.
2.2Rev4 is the version number of the Debian distribution itself. And, since it is 2.2something, that makes it "Potato". (As it says on the Debian site, each release has a code name from the movie, Toy Story.) Each of the four thousand-odd software packages which make up a Debian release has its own version number. In particular, the Linux kernel is a package. So are the Gnu Tools from the Free Software Foundation. These both form the core of Debian Gnu-Linux. When one specifies which Linux kernel is used with Debian, one has to reference a Linux kernel version number, e.g., 2.2.19. One could easily substitute another kernel version for the standard one. As long as all the other major components will work with the new kernel everything is usually okay. It's generally always okay (and very easy) to compile from source code. I hope this helps. Regards Arne flonesaw at longship dot net > > Gad, I'm real confused. > > I can roughly grok the difference between > stable, unstable, etc. > > But what's this business of "2.2r3" and "2.2r4"? > > How does this relate to the version number > "2.2.18pre21". > > Where does "potato" leave off and "woody" begin? > > What's with the 2.4.x kernels? Where do they > stand in relation to "potato" and "woody?" > > Is there a FAQ or URL that might help to > understand any of this? > > Thanks! > > > rafe b. >
