The much-anticipated next version of the core of the Linux operating system is ready at last.

Linux creator Linus Torvalds and the army of programmers who collectively develop the Linux kernel delivered the final release of the long-awaited 2.4 code Thursday. The code is now available for download. A prerelease version of the kernel was made available to testers on Dec. 31. Torvalds, in an email sent to a Linux mailing list, said he "decided that enough is enough, and that things don't get better from having the same people test it over and over again. In short, 2.4.0 is out there." The 2.4 kernel contains several improvements. For desktop use, the most notable improvement is support for the multitude of printers, digital cameras, scanners, keyboards, mice, network cards, modems, Zip drives and other devices that plug into the universal serial bus port.For server use, the most significant changes are improvements that will let Linux take better advantage of systems with multiple processors--a key feature for spreading Linux into more powerful servers.