Greg Kroah-Hartman, a well-known developer of Linux kernel has announced that the support for the Linux kernel 4.4 LTS is ended. The kernel was released in early 2016; it has been supported for 6 years with 302 maintenance updates. 4.4 LTS was the first Linux kernel that is selected for Super Long Term Support.
Will be maintained by CIP Project
Hartman has also pointed at the CIP project that aims to maintain Linux kernel 4.4 with a limited capacity. Whoever needs to keep using 4.4 LTS for any reason, can contact the authorities of the CIP project. Else, Linux kernel 4.4 LTS will not be officially supported and it will not be safe to use from now on. You should consider using an updated distribution with a newer kernel such as 5.10 LTS which will be supported until December 2026.
For those who are interested, here are some of the new features that came with the initial Linux kernel 4.4 LTS release:
- 3D support in the virtual GPU driver, which allows 3D hardware-accelerated graphics in virtualization guests.
- AMD Stoney support.
- Completely lockless TCP listener handling, which allows for faster and more scalable TCP servers.Raspberry Pi KMS driver.
- Improved Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 support.
- Additional UEFI 2.5 functionality.
- Support for Open-Channel solid-state drives (SSDs) through LightNVM.
- Clustered RAID1 and Journaled RAID5 support.
Greg Kroah-Hartman, developer of Linux kernel
Greg Kroah-Hartman, developer of Linux kernel said;
« This kernel branch is now END-OF-LIFE. It will not be getting any more updates from the kernel stable team, and will most likely quickly become insecure and out-of-date. Do not use it anymore unless you really know what you are doing. It was a good kernel branch, helped out by many to work as well as it has, thanks to all for your help with this. It has powered many millions, maybe a few billion, devices out in the world, but now it’s time to say goodbye. »
FAQ
What is the most recent Linux kernel?
Currently, the most recent Linux kernel version is 6.1. The 6.2 version is expected to be released in the middle of February 2023.
How do you check the installed Linux kernel version?
You can check the Linux kernel version of your system with three different methods. You can simply use uname -r command to quickly check the Linux kernel version. You can also use cat /proc/version to check the version from a file. Installing the neofetch application is also an option to check the kernel version and it provides additional information about the other packages installed as well.
Can the Linux kernel be customized?
Yes, the Linux kernel can be customized. You can customize the Linux kernel by enabling or disabling specific options, and even adding new functionalities. But it’s a complicated process; you can check online guides about customizing the Linux kernel.
Is it legal to edit the Linux kernel?
Yes, it is legal to edit the Linux kernel since it is under General Public License.
Is the Linux kernel open source?
Yes, the Linux kernel is an open-source project.
Who developed the Linux kernel?
Linus Torvalds has developed and still developing the Linux kernel.
Does Linus Torvalds still work on Linux?
Yes, Linus Torvalds still works on developing the Linux kernel.
What is the Linux kernel written in?
Linux kernel code is written in the standard C programming language.