Summary
Linux 7.0 RCs showed unusually heavy commit activity, indicating more bugs than typical.
The April 12 release date remains on track despite RC turbulence; final polish is ongoing.
Version 7.0 is a milestone for version numbering, but not a massive leap feature-wise from 6.19.
Linux 7.0’s kernel hasn’t had the best of release candidate phases. From the get-go, the release candidates showed more commit activity than usual, which sounds like it should be a good thing, but it really isn’t. The release candidates aren’t where new features get added; it’s where features that have been added undergo testing. Therefore, the more activity a build has, the buggier it is.
Fortunately, while Linux 7.0’s release candidates were having problems, Linus Torvalds forged ahead with the intended release plan, as he saw the commits were addressing many smaller bugs rather than fixing large, showstopping ones. It seems his moxie paid off, as Linux 7.0 is finally getting the final bits and pieces polished up before its big release on April 12th.
Related
Linux 7.0 is preparing fixes for a Wi-Fi driver…from 2017
It’s truly the perfect home for old hardware.
Linux 7.0 is just days away from being released to the public
The rocky release candidates didn’t put a dent in its planned release date
If you need catching up, Linux 7.0’s preview builds were pretty rough. The problems arose around release candidate 2, where Linus Torvalds said he noticed that the kernel candidate was “some of the biggest in recent history.” Release candidate 3 looked to be even bigger, and while Linus was a little uneasy about the trend, he still stuck to his original release plan, stating that the fixes, while plentiful, were on the smaller side in terms of severity.
Release candidate 5 came around, and things were finally looking up. Then, release candidate 6 showed Linus that the calm “was a mirage” and the number of tweaks was back in the higher-than-usual range. Still, Linus stood by his original idea not to delay the launch.
Now, as spotted by Phoronix, the Linux 7.0 kernel is looking to be full speed ahead toward its April 12th release without any delays. If something truly disastrous happens in the next few days, then yes, it might get pushed back. However, there has already been plenty of time to find bugs of this severity, so the kernel looks pretty good right now.
It’s worth noting that, while Linux 7.0 features a shiny new version number, it’s not a drastic upgrade from 6.19’s kernel. Linus doesn’t believe in numbering versions by feature, and instead resets the counter when he runs out of fingers and toes to count on. So, while reaching version 7.0 is still a really cool milestone in terms of Linux’s history, it won’t be as big a jump as, say, Windows 10 to 11.
Related
Linux 7.0 is adding mainline kernel support for… Rock Band 4 guitars
See, this is why I love FOSS.