title: Applying incremental Linux patches
body: <p>I have installed Linux 3.7.7 (stable) kernel.
  My goal is to apply all the available incremental patches, from 3.7.7-8 to .... whatever, in order to get to the latest stable version (which is 3.8.2).</p>
  
  <p>I've downloaded and applied successfully 3.7.7-8, 3.7.8-9, 3.7.9-10. The next incremental patch available on kernel.org is 3.8.1-2. When I've tried to apply 3.8.1-2 (over the latest installed,ie. 3.7.10) I've got few "Reversed (or previously applied) patch detected!" messages, although I was supposed to get applied like a charm.</p>
  
  <p>I supposed that it happened because there was no 3.8.0 patch applied. But there is not 3.8.0 available (neither incremental or whatever) on kernel.org so I had no choice, though.</p>
  
  <p>The only way to get to 3.8.2 (by applying patches to some old stable release to the latest one) was to download the whole stable sources of 3.8.1 (because it's the first and only one available after 3.7.x), then to apply all incremental 3.8.1.x patches till I got to the 3.8.2 release.</p>
  
  <p>Is it supposed to work like that or actually one can start with a 2.6.x version and by applying all incremental patches he/she will get eventually to the latest 3.8.2 (whatever) release?</p>
  
  <p>Don't suggest anything else than patching, I am interested in this method for educational purpose and I'm not in a dead or live situation when you get what you can, just enough to survive. I only want to know it it should work or not, maybe (being the first time when I done this) I done something wrong (!?)</p>