The Linux 4.4 kernel is being developedRC1 has already been launched and if everything goes as planned, in a short time we will have the final version to be installed in our distro. In this new version there will be major changes in the subsystem, and in this article we will give you the most significant changes and functionalities introduced in the Linux kernel. Of course the optimizations and corrected bugs are not lacking ...
Linux 4.4 is a kernel that has grown, already has about 20,8 million lines in its source code. It has other auxiliary documentation files and hundreds of new files, so it keeps getting fatter. But regardless of the number of lines or size, the important thing is its functionalities, robustness and reliability. What is most striking about Linux 4.4 is:
- Support for AMD Stoney, the next APUs released by AMD.
- Numerous enhancements and additions that positively affect AMD GPUs like the Carrizo, Tonga and Fiji. Although there is not yet support for power management for discrete cards, there will be patches for this in the Linux 4.5 kernel.
- Raspberry Pi KMS Driver which has been included thanks to the work of Eric Anholt of Broadcom, although it does not yet handle 3D hardware acceleration, but it is already being worked on.
- The Nouveau controllers also bring improvements stability for NVIDIA GPUs, but nothing remarkable. There are also some other improvements for Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 SoCs graphics, and Intel's graphics chips, especially for the Skylake and Broxton.
- Updates for 64-bit ARMs and EFI enhancements for these architectures. There are also improvements for some ARM-based SoCs platforms.
- Many changes in terms of networks. One of them is support for Realtek RTL8xxxU WiFi cards, support for Very High Throughput MESH in the Atheros ATH10K, VRF support on the IPv6 stack, support for eBPF non-root programs and other improvements in terms of maps and programs with eBPF , etc.