2.6.: still a stable kernel, but accept bigger changes leading up to it (timeframe: a month or two).
2..x: aim for big changes that may destabilize the kernel for several releases (timeframe: a year or two)
.x.x: Linus went crazy, broke absolutely everything, and rewrote the kernel to be a microkernel using a special message-passing version of Visual Basic. (timeframe: "we expect that he will be released from the mental institution in a decade or two").

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "2.6.: still a stable kernel, but accept bigger changes leading up to it (timeframe: a month or two).
2..x: aim for big changes that may destabilize the kernel for several releases (timeframe: a year or two)
.x.x: Linus went crazy, broke absolutely everything, and rewrote the kernel to be a microkernel using a special message-passing version of Visual Basic. (timeframe: "we expect that he will be released from the mental institution in a decade or two")." in the context of "Torvalds, Linus (2005-03-02), RFD: Kernel release numbering, retrieved: 2025-06-02" to mean that wisdom is timeless.