Most 2.6 Linux kernel releases have contained a unique name that is only visible within the top level makefile. Some examples, 2.6.17 was named "Lordi Rules", 2.6.16 was named "Sliding Snow Leopard", 2.6.14 was named "Affluent Albatross", and 2.6.13 was named "Woozy Numbat".

Kyle McMartin recently posted a patch to the lkml with the intention of making the kernel name visible, leading Linux creator Linus Torvalds to explain, "well, part of the charm of the name is that it's totally meaningless. I can pick names out of my *ss, and they don't matter in the least, and nobody will ever see it except in the kernel diffs."

From: Kyle McMartin [email blocked]
To:  linux-kernel
Subject: [PATCH] Well, Linus seems to like Lordi...
Date:	Thu, 25 May 2006 10:17:14 -0400

If we're going to have release code names for the kernel, might as well
advertise them somewhere. :)

Signed-off-by: Kyle McMartin [email blocked]

--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -841,6 +841,7 @@ define filechk_version.h
 	  exit 1; \
 	fi; \
 	(echo \#define UTS_RELEASE \"$(KERNELRELEASE)\"; \
+	  echo \#define LINUX_CODE_NAME \"$(NAME)\"; \
 	  echo \#define LINUX_VERSION_CODE `expr $(VERSION) \\* 65536 + $(PATCHLEVEL) \\* 256 + $(SUBLEVEL)`; \
 	 echo '#define KERNEL_VERSION(a,b,c) (((a) << 16) + ((b) << 8) + (c))'; \
 	)
diff --git a/init/version.c b/init/version.c
index 3ddc3ce..97cc8ec 100644
--- a/init/version.c
+++ b/init/version.c
@@ -29,5 +29,6 @@ struct new_utsname system_utsname = {
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(system_utsname);
 
 const char linux_banner[] =
-	"Linux version " UTS_RELEASE " (" LINUX_COMPILE_BY "@"
-	LINUX_COMPILE_HOST ") (" LINUX_COMPILER ") " UTS_VERSION "\n";
+	"Linux version " UTS_RELEASE " \"" LINUX_CODE_NAME "\" (" 
+	LINUX_COMPILE_BY "@" LINUX_COMPILE_HOST ") (" LINUX_COMPILER ") "
+	UTS_VERSION "\n";



From: Linus Torvalds [email blocked]
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Well, Linus seems to like Lordi...
Date:	Thu, 25 May 2006 08:46:01 -0700 (PDT)



On Thu, 25 May 2006, Kyle McMartin wrote:
>
> If we're going to have release code names for the kernel, might as well
> advertise them somewhere. :)

Well, part of the charm of the name is that it's totally meaningless. I 
can pick names out of my *ss, and they don't matter in the least, and 
nobody will ever see it except in the kernel diffs.

(As to Lordi, I've only ever seen their Eurovision thing on Youtube, 
because those pesky US networks thinks we're interested in some kind of 
inferior "American Idol" copycat product. But unless you've lived in 
Finland during the 80s and 90s, you just simply cannot appreciate the 
"Whaaa?" factor of having Finland win the dang thing. Imagine a whole 
_country_ going "Whaaa? What the f?" at the same time..).

			Linus



From: alan [email blocked]
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Well, Linus seems to like Lordi...
Date:	Thu, 25 May 2006 09:15:45 -0700 (PDT)

On Thu, 25 May 2006, Linus Torvalds wrote:

>
>
> On Thu, 25 May 2006, Kyle McMartin wrote:
>>
>> If we're going to have release code names for the kernel, might as well
>> advertise them somewhere. :)
>
> Well, part of the charm of the name is that it's totally meaningless. I
> can pick names out of my *ss, and they don't matter in the least, and
> nobody will ever see it except in the kernel diffs.

Unlike the release names for "Pan" (http://pan.rebelbase.com/).  They 
revel in weird release names.

"I will not buy this lutefisk, it is scratched."

> (As to Lordi, I've only ever seen their Eurovision thing on Youtube,
> because those pesky US networks thinks we're interested in some kind of
> inferior "American Idol" copycat product.

Except the Eurovision Song Contest has been going on since sometime in the 
middle of the Jurasic period.

> But unless you've lived in
> Finland during the 80s and 90s, you just simply cannot appreciate the
> "Whaaa?" factor of having Finland win the dang thing. Imagine a whole
> _country_ going "Whaaa? What the f?" at the same time..).

It would be like Gwar winning American Idol.  (Which would be about the 
only way to get me to watch it.)

-- 
"Waiter! This lambchop tastes like an old sock!" - Sheri Lewis



From: Linus Torvalds [email blocked]
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Well, Linus seems to like Lordi...
Date:	Thu, 25 May 2006 09:26:31 -0700 (PDT)



On Thu, 25 May 2006, alan wrote:
> 
> > (As to Lordi, I've only ever seen their Eurovision thing on Youtube,
> > because those pesky US networks thinks we're interested in some kind of
> > inferior "American Idol" copycat product.
> 
> Except the Eurovision Song Contest has been going on since sometime in the
> middle of the Jurasic period.

Sorry, I phrased it badly. I meant that Idol was the inferior copy-cat. 
I'm well aware of the long (and for a Finn - until recently - very painful 
indeed) history of the Eurovision.

			Linus

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