The latest Linux kernel was released with a slew of new features — and for the first time, this release was a quiet one.
As Linux creator Linus Torvalds wrote on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML): “It’s been a quiet release this time around … so here we are, right on time, with version 6.3 ready and waiting for your enjoyment.”.
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While the smooth release is good news, Torvalds warns that there may still be challenges: “That doesn’t mean, of course, that something bad couldn’t have been lurking all these weeks, but let’s take it for granted and hope that all of this means that everything is fine and that it was really a nice controlled release cycle. These things happen.”.
Just because it was quiet doesn't mean it was boring. It's true that the features in this release aren't as exciting as previous releases that included Rust or Apple M1 support. But there are still some important new features in the Linux 6.3 kernel.
Speaking of Rust, everyone's favorite memory-safe, the new kernel comes with user-mode Linux support for Rust code.
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Linux kernel 6.3 also includes support and compatibility for upcoming and currently released Intel and AMD processors and graphics hardware. While these improvements will greatly benefit future devices, many changes in this release have a direct impact on current users.
The core now implements AMD's Spectre mitigation technology, Indirect Branch Restricted Speculation (IBRS), which is a less performance-demanding alternative.
Yes, it's been five years since the Spectre , and yes, they're still fighting it. As a result of this update, older AMD will be slightly more secure and faster.
For gamers, the new kernel provides a built-in Steam Deck controller interface over HID. It also includes compatibility for the Logitech G923 Xbox edition racing wheel and improvements to the 8BitDo Pro 2 wired gamepads. Single-board computers such as the BannaPi R3, BPI-M2 Pro, and Orange Pi R1 Plus also benefit from updated drivers in this release.
If you want to use version 6.3 today, you can, but you'll have to compile the Linux kernel yourself. You can download it from kernel.org.
Arch Linux, openSUSE Tumbleweed, and Gentoo Linux will release this version soon.
Read also:Linux Kernel 5.6: Comes with many support improvements
information source: zdnet.com
