One week after the release of Linux kernel 5.16 rc5, the new RC version was released by Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux operating system. Torvalds has shared the details of the new Linux kernel release candidate, which consists of small changes mainly towards driver enhancements.
No point in releasing final 5.16 on holidays
The sixth release candidate of the Linux kernel focuses on the drivers. The drivers of networking hardware, USB, GPU, and some other devices have been updated with rc6. Torvalds also improved .dts files while making small fixes in x86 KVM, PowerPC, S390, and MIPS. The rest of the changes have been done in the file systems and core kernel.
As usual, Linus Torvalds has shared all of those changes with his own style. Linus Torvalds, developer of Linux kernel said,
« Things are calming down, and rc6 is fairly small. That’s normal for this time in the release schedule, but it’s also normal for this time of year.
And I expect that the next two weeks will be very quiet, and smaller still. But maybe people are bored, maybe people are staying in due to covid picking up again, we’ll just see.
Regardless of what happens, I will be making an rc8 – not because this release looks particularly problematic, but simply due to the seasonal holidays. There’s no point in releasing a final 5.16 and opening the merge window when people are still on holiday or just coming back. So we’ll have at least one extra week of rc this release, even if no nasty issues appear. And if issues -do- appear, that can obviously delay things further, even if that may look unlikely right now.
Anyway, on the rc6 front, most of the changes here are drivers (mainly networking, usb, and gpu, with some minor noise elsewhere), although the bpf seltest additions do show up in the diff quite prominently too.
There’s the usual arch updates too. A good chunk of of those are to dts files, so maybe they count as driver updates.. But there’s some other small changes in there: x86 kvm fixes, powerpc, s390 and mips fixes, arm soc fixes etc.
The rest is spread out – filesystems (btrfs, ceph, ciph) and core kernel (mostly networking). I know most of us are preparing for Christmas, but give it a whirl, ok? How important are those presents (and that family) anyway. Shortlog appended for people who want to scan the details. »
You can follow the link below to download the Linux kernel 5.16 rc6:
Download Linux kernel 5.16 rc6
FAQ
What is the most recent Linux kernel?
The latest version of Linux Kernel is 6.2 and it was released on February 20, 2023. Also, the latest LTS (Long-Term Support) version of Linux Kernel is 6.1 and it was released on December 11, 2022.
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.