Linux 7.0 Is Official: Linus Torvalds Confirms Next Kernel
▼ Summary
– Michael Larabel is the founder and principal author of Phoronix.com, a site launched in 2004 focused on the Linux hardware experience.
– He has authored over 20,000 articles on topics including Linux hardware support, performance, and graphics drivers.
– Larabel is the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, an automated benchmarking software.
– He also leads development for the related Phoromatic and OpenBenchmarking.org platforms.
– He is reachable through his personal website and social media profiles like Twitter and LinkedIn.
The next major iteration of the Linux kernel is now official, with Linus Torvalds confirming the release of Linux 7.0. This significant version bump marks a notable milestone in the development of the open-source operating system’s core, signaling the culmination of a substantial development cycle. While the jump from version 6.x to 7.0 might suggest dramatic, sweeping changes, the reality is more nuanced, reflecting the project’s mature and stable evolution.
The announcement came directly from Torvalds in his customary weekly release update. He noted that the past week had been relatively calm, with the final changes being primarily small fixes and minor updates. This quiet period provided the ideal conditions to finalize the new major version. The decision to increment the major version number is not taken lightly and typically follows a period where a significant amount of new code and features has been integrated, even if no single feature is deemed a “killer app.”
This release incorporates a wide array of improvements and new hardware support that have been accumulating over the previous 6.x series. Key areas of enhancement include ongoing work on the Rust programming language infrastructure within the kernel, refinements to filesystem performance, and expanded support for the latest generations of processors from AMD, Intel, and ARM-based architectures. Graphics drivers, particularly for AMD Radeon and Intel integrated graphics, also receive updates for better performance and compatibility with new hardware.
For most users and system administrators, the immediate impact of moving to Linux 7.0 will be subtle. The kernel’s development model emphasizes continuous integration, meaning many of the beneficial changes are already available in the latest stable 6.x releases. The version number change serves as a convenient marker and a testament to the volume of development work completed. It also helps with long-term maintenance and version tracking for distributions and enterprise users.
Looking ahead, the merge window for what will become Linux 7.1 is now open. This begins the next cycle of development where maintainers will submit their new feature patches for the next two weeks. The focus will quickly shift from stabilizing the 7.0 base to integrating the next wave of innovations and support. Major Linux distributions will begin evaluating and testing this new kernel for inclusion in their future stable releases, a process that ensures reliability before widespread deployment.
(Source: Phoronix)
