It's important to understand a few things right from the outset that will help you as we proceed on our journey of building and working with a Linux kernel. Firstly, the Linux kernel and its sister projects are completely decentralized - it's a virtual, online open-source community! The closest we come to an office is this: stewardship of the Linux kernel (as well as several dozen related projects) is in the capable hands of the Linux Foundation (https://linuxfoundation.org/); further, it manages the Linux Kernel Organization, a private foundation that distributes the Linux kernel to the public for no charge (https://www.kernel.org/nonprofit.html).
Some of the key points we discuss in this section includes the following:
- The kernel release, or version number nomenclature
- The typical kernel development workflow
- The existence of different types of kernel source trees within the repository
With this information...
