Ubuntu 24.10 to Include the Latest Linux Kernel
Ubuntu users have grown accustomed to their favorite distribution shipping with a kernel that's not quite as up-to-date as other distros but that changes with 24.10.
Canonical announced that Ubuntu 24.10 will be the first release to ship with the latest upstream kernel.
That means "Oracular Oriole" will come with Linux kernel version 6.11. Previously, Ubuntu shipped with kernels that would soon reach EOL, which was driven by Canonical's need to always ship what they knew would work and had been sufficiently tested, vetted, and updated.
According to Brett Grandbois (Ubuntu Kernel Engineering Director), the old policy was a conservative "wait and see" approach, which guaranteed stability on the appointed release day but proved unpopular with consumers looking for the latest features and hardware support.
Under the new policy, Grandbois states, "Ubuntu will now ship the absolute latest available version of the upstream Linux kernel at the specified Ubuntu release freeze date, even if upstream is still in Release Candidate (RC) status."
This will, of course, bring about a few complications, such as kernel variants, dependent components, a tighter release, possible unstable releases, and late releases.
Grandbois said that any upstream kernel that has a merge window opened after feature freeze would be considered too unstable and its release too far in the future to be adopted for a pending release.
You can read more about this new policy in Grandbois's blog post (linked above), which goes into further detail about the issues and guidelines.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
A new open source portal seeks to coordinate and scale open source efforts across the United Nations system.
-
KDE Linux Drops AUR
KDE Linux developers have dropped the Arch User Repository from the build pipeline due to security concerns; other distributions should consider doing the same.
-
California May Exempt Linux from Its Age-Verification Law
After backlash from the Linux community, California may be backing off on its promise to force all operating systems to verify age, but one platform may still have to comply.
-
Another Logic Bug Found in Linux Kernel
Qualys has discovered a vulnerability in the Linux kernel that can be used to elevate standard user privileges.
-
Ubuntu Core 26 Offers Game-Changing Enterprise Features
Ubuntu Core 26 could be a game-changer for organizations looking for increased security and reliability.
-
AI Flooding the Linux Kernel Security Mailing List
AI is giving Linus Torvalds a headache, but not in the way you might think.
-
Top Priorities for Open Source Pros Seeking a New Job
Professional fulfillment tops the list, according to LPI report.
-
Container-Based Fedora Hummingbird Designed for Agent-First Builders
Fedora Hummingbird brings the same approach to the host OS as it does to containers to level up security.
-
Linux kernel Developers Considering a Kill Switch
With the rise of Linux vulnerabilities, the kernel developers are now considering adding a component that could help temporarily mitigate against them… in the form of a kill switch.
-
Fedora 44 Now Gaming Ready
The latest version of Fedora has been released with gaming support.