Highlights of Linux kernel 6.8 include LAM (Linear Address Masking) virtualization and guest-first memory support for KVM, a basic online filesystem check and repair mechanism for the Bcachefs file system introduced in Linux kernel 6.7, support for the Broadcom BCM2712 processor in Raspberry Pi 5, AMD ACPI-based Wi-Fi band RFI mitigation feature (WBRF), zswap writeback disabling, fscrypt support for CephFS, a new Intel Xe DRM driver, and a multi-size THP (Transparent Huge Pages) sysfs interface.
↫ Marius Nestor at 9to5Linux
There’s way more going on in this new release, of course, such as further Rust support, for instance in the Loongson architecture, additional support for tons of newer Intel processors , specific support patches for various laptops, and so, so much more.
So they add RPi support so late? It’s already on the market. I’ve thought that it’s always earlier.
Marshal Jim Raynor,
I have no experience with RPI5 because I was forced to buy an RPI4 instead of the RPI5 I wanted several months back :(. Many linux ARM SBCs require customers to use a custom kernel and will not work with mainline kernels. This is one of the common gripes about proprietary ARM chips. The RPI5 Broadcom hardware reaching linux mainline at all is actually a testament to the FOSS community’s determination and tenacity IMHO. My hope is that chip makers who’ve been dragging their feet with FOSS get shunned & rejected and our longstanding barriers to FOSS on ARM gradually fade away. But for better or worse the android phone builders who buy the lion’s share of ARM chips haven’t done enough to demand mainstream linux support. This status quo would change so quickly if all android phone makers would agree only to buy CPUs with mainstream support.
I’ve pre-ordered a Raspberry Pi 5, a 4 GiB model and an 8 GiB model. The 4 GiB model was delivered two weeks ago and I’m still waiting for the 8 GiB model. While I imagine developers have earlier access, the availability of the Raspberry Pi 5 is still low.