Torvalds on Linux Kernel 2.6.28-rc1: More Drivers Than Ever
Linus Torvalds presents the first test candidate of Linux Kernel 2.6.28 on his mailing list.
"The changes in -rc1 are (as usual) too many to really enumerate, with the bulk of them being - again as usual - drivers," writes Torvalds in the gmane.linux.kernel newsgroup. Having merged the drivers from the staging tree makes this "doubly true." Nearly half the merged drivers are in the staging tree that Greg Kroah-Hartman created back in June 2008. This tree was to hold drivers and other additions to the Linux kernel that were not quite ready to be merged. Developers can adopt the staging tree at new kernel installation, with the caveat that the drivers might be something less than stable.
Torvalds presents further statistics for those who appreciate them. The kernel involved 7,141 non-merge commits, 419 of them merges to separate developer source code archives. Each change removed on average 39 lines and added 104 lines of code. About 880 authors contributed, of which 183 had 10 or more commits and 340 had just one commit. Linux users lagging behind on updates can take an example from Kroah-Hartman, who just recently committed a fix made in April 2002. With a twinkle in his eye, Torvalds presents Kroah-Hartman with the "most screwed-up clock award": "it's a fix to a driver that was merged this July!"
Linux Kernel 2.6.28-rc1 is available for download here. Torvalds wishes everyone fun in testing, "and report any interesting anomalies you find."
Related content
-
Kroah-Hartman: Remove Hyper-V Driver from Kernel?
Microsoft caused a sensation with its release of its Hyper-V virtualization driver -- now its inclusion in the Linux kernel could be in doubt.
-
Linux 2.6.25 without Closed Source USB Drivers
A controversial patch for the imminent kernel 2.6.25 is causing much debate in the developer community: in a similar move to one he made two years ago, the well-known kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman has submitted a patch that prevents closed source USB drivers from using the kernel's USB driver API.
-
Greg's Kernel Report: Android Drivers to Be Dropped, Same Possible Fate for Microsoft Hyper-V
Kernel developer and Novell coworker Greg Kroah-Hartman manages new drivers in a separate tree for the Linux drivers project. He most recently reported that a few projects will have to depart from Kernel 2.6.33, among them also Google.
-
Microsoft to Add Hyper-V Drivers to Linux Kernel
What seemed impossible years ago could now become a reality: a Linux driver from Microsoft in the kernel.
-
Video: Android and Linux Kernel
At FOSDEM 2010 in Brussels, Linux Magazine Online pulled Android commentator Jan Wildeboer and kernel staging tree maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman away from the daily events to talk with them on camera.
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
-
Kubuntu Focus Goes Ultra
The Kubuntu Focus team has upped the performance ante of its M2 and Zr laptops with the latest, greatest CPUs from Intel.
-
Linux Gamers May Soon See Less Mouse Lag in KDE Plasma
Gamers using KDE’s Plasma desktop have been suffering from a slight input delay in mouse movement that could lead to getting fragged.
-
Three Lines of Code Improve Linux Storage Performance
A developer changed three lines of code, giving Linux storage performance a 5% bump.
-
AUR Hit Again with Malicious Packages
Once again the Arch User Repository is plagued by a high volume of malicious packages.
-
Alpine Linux 3.24 Features Fresh Desktops and a Newer Kernel
If you're a fan of Alpine Linux, it's time to upgrade because the latest version has been released with KDE Plasma 6.6, Gnome 50, and Linux kernel 6.18 LTS.
-
EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
Comprehensive measures adopted by the European Commission aim to reduce dependency on non-EU countries.
-
Linux Foundation Report Indicates AI Driving Tech Hiring
Within growing security and skills gaps, AI has been found to be a positive driving force behind tech hiring trends in Europe.
-
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.