As I came back from PTO I had to dig into work mails. One of threads was about 25 years of Linux and there was a question “which was your first kernel” and I thought that it may be not an easy question to answer.
For me first was 2.0.2[6-8] (do not remember) on some Uni server where I got my first Linux account (normally used SunOS and text terminal). I remember that there was simple root exploit we used.
Then 2.0.36 on my Amiga 1200 (Debian ‘slink’) was first I run on my hardware.
2.2.10 was first I used for longer as it was Debian ‘potato’ m68k one.
2.3.47 was first I cross compiled (on i686/linux for m68k/linux). And it worked!
2.4.0-test5 was first I built for my x86 desktop once I moved from Amiga/AmigaOS to PC/Debian. I had Duron/600 desktop and old 386 desktop both running same version. Duron got newer ones later, 386 stayed with this one for about year when I returned it.
When I bought Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 PDA 2.4.18-rmk7-pxa3-embeddix was running on it. So this is my first Linux version on mobile device. Next jump was 2.6.11 on Zaurus c760 as first 2.6 one on mobile.
During OpenZaurus maintaince I started upstreaming kernel patches. 2.6.17 was first with my patches in.
When I had that strange ProGear webpad I wrote backlight for it (based on someone’s code) and 2.6.21 was first with my driver in (and I removed it in 3.7).