The Linux Kernel Archives - Releases

There are several main categories into which kernel releases may fall:
Many Linux distributions provide their own "longterm maintenance" kernels that may or may not be based on those maintained by kernel developers. These kernel releases are not hosted at kernel.org and kernel developers can provide no support for them.
It is easy to tell if you are running a distribution kernel. Unless you downloaded, compiled and installed your own version of kernel from kernel.org, you are running a distribution kernel. To find out the version of your kernel, run uname -r:
If you see anything at all after the dash, you are running a distribution kernel. Please use the support channels offered by your distribution vendor to obtain kernel support.
Here are some questions we routinely receive about kernel release versions. See also the main "FAQ" section for some other topics.
Linux kernel follows a simple release cadence:
So, to find the approximate date of the next mainline kernel release, take the date of the previous mainline release and add 9-10 weeks.
You can also subscribe to the releases calendar that forecasts key development dates for the upcoming kernels:
Longterm kernels are picked based on various factors -- major new features, popular commercial distribution needs, device manufacturer demand, maintainer workload and availability, etc. You can roughly estimate when the new longterm version will become available based on how much time has elapsed since the last longterm version was chosen.
The "projected EOL" dates are not set in stone. Each new longterm kernel usually starts with only a 2-year projected EOL that can be extended further if there is enough interest from the industry at large to help support it for a longer period of time.
No. The major version number is incremented when the number after the dot starts looking "too big." There is literally no other reason.
A long time ago Linux used a system where odd numbers after the first dot indicated pre-release, development kernels (e.g. 2.1, 2.3, 2.5). This scheme was abandoned after the release of kernel 2.6 and these days pre-release kernels are indicated with "-rc".