LINUX KERNEL 2.4 (DRAFT II!)
The Internet, August XX, 2000

Linus Torvalds and the kernel development team would like to announce the
immediate availability of Linux 2.4, the latest revision of the popular open
source operating system kernel. This update brings increased scalability and
performance to all Linux users, in addition to new hardware support.

Noteworthy Features:

 * Linux 2.4 offers better support for Enterprise-level applications.
   This new revision supports up to 64 gigabytes of RAM, allows files to be 
   larger than 2 gigabytes, supports many more simultaneous processes, and    
   has been improved to take better advantage of systems with multiple    
   processors.

 * Linux now supports Itanium, the 64-bit processor soon to be released by 
   Intel, as well as the S/390, an IBM mainframe, and SuperH, often used in 
   WindowsCE handhelds. Linux 2.4 improves support for Intel and Apple 
   desktop and server hardware, in addition to Compaq servers based on the   
   Alpha processor, Sun Sparc systems, MIPs systems, and other platforms.

 * USB and Firewire are both supported, updating Linux to make use of the 
   latest peripherals. Additionally, legacy "Plug-and-Play" and PC Card    
   (PCMCIA) support has been improved.
   
 * Linux's new network layer provides a level of flexibility and power 
   formerly only available with expensive routing hardware. In addition, 
   Linux 2.4 features a faster and more stable network subsystem that   
   features optimizations for multi-processor hardware.

 * The new kernel includes support for version 3 of the popular NFS 
   filesystem for sharing files in UNIX-like environments.

 * Linux 2.4 includes special enhancements for webservers including a
   kernel-level web server and "wake one" support for faster page serving 
   with all popular web servers, including Apache.

 * Logical Volume Manager for easy administration of disk space, including
   adding, deleting, and resizing disk slices on the fly.

This update is already available to users through multiple kernel mirrors
(ftp.kernel.org) although a manual upgrade is only recommended for advanced 
users. All major distribution vendors are expected to be offering upgrades to 
this kernel revision within the next several months.

The Linux kernel is developed online by a team of programmers headed by Linus 
Torvalds, a resident of Santa Clara, CA. Linux was an early adopter of the 
open source methodology which provides for source code and peer review at all 
stages of development. It is because of this system of openness that Linux 
has grown to be the most successful non-corporate operating system to date.

For more information, please consult www.linux.org for a list of other
Linux-related websites. More information on the new features in Linux 2.4 can
be found in the "Wonderful World of Linux 2.4" document, available ...

Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.