Linux

Is there anything I should know about kernel versions and how they are numbered?
I'm trying to compile ivtv drivers. When I run make, the first check is the kernel version. uname -r shows my kernel as 2.6.8-2-386, but I get the error:
ivtv-0.6.0 does NOT support kernels > 2.6.16!

Is this right? Is it that , say, after 2.6.19, the next version would be 2.6.2 (as in 20 without the zero?

I'm going to remove the kernel check and see what happens with my compile, but I'm curious to know if indeed that's how kernel versions are numbered.

2.6.2 -> 2.6.8 -> 2.6.10 -> 2.6.12 -> 2.6.16 -> 2.6.16.20

Stable releases are labeled with even-numbered minor version and revision number.

Either your driver has a "faulty" check that does not account for the "extra version" tag that is frequently applied at the back by many Linux vendors to label their customized kernel versions. In recent stable releases (2.6.16.x) they also started using this to label patch releases with relatively little fixes.

Or just make sure the kernel sources you are having on hand are indeed the version expected. You can open the top-level Makefile in your kernel sources and the version information should be in there, at the top.