A stable version of Linux 6.0 has been released for the users, which brings many new features to the table, while the merge window for Linux 6.1 is now open.
Linux core developer Linus Torvalds admitted that 6.0 "is more about my lack of fingers and toes than big fundamental changes", however he said it was "one of the biggest releases, at least in number of confirmations at some point".
Torvalds was more excited about the 6.1 updates, saying they brought "some pretty essential new stuff" to the table.
What's new for Linux 6.0?
The latest version brings changes that may improve power management and ACPi handling for x86 hardware, including Intel "Sapphire Rapids" Xeon and AMD Ryzen 6000 processors.
In addition, the update will reduce the performance impact of fixing the "backtrack" speculative execution bug on some older Intel and AMD processors.
Linux 6.0 should also bring additional support for open source RISC-V technology and the Chinese-developed LoongArch microprocessor architecture.
Users will also get support for Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8xc Gen3 mount and Lenovo's ThinkPad X13s Arm laptop.
What does 6.1 have in store?
Linux 6.1 is set to provide an initial support infrastructure for the Rust programming language, a type of programming language that is currently skyrocketing in popularity, tripling in 24 months to 2,2 million according to SlashData.
Users will also have the option to disable the Spectre-BHB mitigation at runtime on Arm systems, due to the significant impact this has on the performance of Arm servers.
Multi-Generation LRU, better known as MGLRU, is also set to mainline, which has been touted as a superior alternative to the existing kernel page recovery code, which could be of great benefit to users looking for better performance. .
In addition, Linux 6.1 should also include preparations for support for Intel Meteor Lake Graphics Intel Meteor Lake Thunderbolt, as well as better handling of Intel GPU firmware.
- Interested in trying out Linux for yourself? Check out our guide to the best Linux laptops