Kernel Watch
Jon Masters summarises the latest happenings in the Linux kernel, so that you don’t have to.
Tinus Torvalds announced the release of Linux 5.12-rc7, noting that it was likely there would be (relatively rare) RC8 (Release Candidate 8) this time around due to the large number of patches that went in at the last minute, in particular to address a few networking concerns. All of which means that the next merge window (period of time during which disruptive changes can land), and all of the goodies that brings, is likely to be in time for next issue.
Meanwhile tremendous advancement in support for Apple “M1” Macs being able to run Linux natively. This bare metal support has come at a ridiculously fast pace, likely motivated by the performance of the Apple Silicon, which has caused a strong interest in running Linux on it. Linux 5.13 should contain initial support, and we’ll break it down (and run the code) in next month’s issue.