Liquorix Linux Kernel 7.2-4 is now available, continuing an intense development sprint that has produced ten kernel updates in under two weeks. Based on Linux 7.2.3, the new build introduces significant SMT scheduling changes within the ongoing Project-C initiative, replacing a previous skip-patch with a new optimization that places sync wakees directly on the waker's sibling thread.
Steven Barrett released linux-liquorix 7.2-3 today, integrating the upstream Linux 7.2.3 stable update with two fresh scheduler tweaks aimed at SMT balance skipping and sync wake affinity. The build continues a relentless development cycle, arriving just two days after 7.2-2 as part of the project's ongoing Project-C optimization push for gaming and audio responsiveness. Liquorix remains an enthusiast-focused kernel running the BMQ scheduler with hard preemption and a 1000Hz tick rate, primarily targeting AMD64 systems running Debian, Ubuntu, or Arch Linux. While the AMD64-only scope limits its reach, the rapid iteration pace demonstrates a highly tuned, low-latency option for users prioritizing interactive performance over throughput.
XanMod maintainer Alexandre Frade released three simultaneous kernel builds today, spanning the LTS 6.18.49, Main 7.1.13, and Edge 7.2.3 branches with support for x64v1 through x64v3 CPU tiers. The updates incorporate upstream security patches addressing usbfs use-after-free and malicious ALSA usb-audio exploits, while layering in XanMod's custom LLVM optimizations, Cloudflare TCP collapse processing, and Google BBRv3 congestion control.
Steven Barrett just released another Liquorix Linux Kernel update. The release focuses on six scheduler patches that refine the PDS/BMQ sleep credit decay mechanism to prevent priority boost accumulation across forks and policy changes. Deployed less than 24 hours after the previous build, the update reflects the ongoing "Project-C" initiative aimed at micro-optimizing the scheduler's critical path for lower latency. The AMD64-only package remains available as a drop-in replacement for Debian, Ubuntu, and Arch Linux systems targeting improved responsiveness for gaming and audio production workloads.
Steven Barrett has shipped Liquorix Kernel 7.2-1, a drop-in enthusiast-grade kernel built for gaming and audio/video workloads that pulls in upstream Linux 7.2.2. The release pushes Barrett's custom Project-C scheduler to the forefront, bringing wake-affine CPU placement, greedy task optimization, and heterogeneous core detection to Debian, Ubuntu, and Arch users. While the aggressive 2ms timeslices and near-RT preemption deliver snappier desktop responsiveness, they come at the cost of higher idle power draw, making this build best suited for desktops and workstations rather than laptops.
Debian 11 bullseye's official Long Term Support ends today, August 31, 2026, with no further security updates from September onward. Freexian will provide commercial Extended Long-Term Support through June 30, 2031, though it only covers a subset of packages and specific architectures. The recommended upgrade path leads to Debian 12 bookworm, currently in LTS until June 2028, or Debian 13 trixie, the current stable release. Users should review their systems for unsupported packages and plan migrations before the deadline.
Steven Barrett's Liquorix Kernel just landed at 7.1-21, shipping two targeted patches that cap and properly drain the PDS scheduler's boost credit to stop unfair task hoarding. The release sits alongside a massive, ongoing Project-C rewrite that's been optimizing cache alignment, SMT awareness, and lock contention since mid-2026. It's an aggressive daily release cycle for a strictly AMD64-only package, but the work keeps the custom scheduler sharp for gaming and low-latency audio workloads. Security also got a facelift with AppArmor as default, Landlock enabled, and two CVEs backported into the mix.
Debian developers selected Marc Haber's "Responsible Use of Generative AI" proposal in General Resolution 2026-002, narrowly allowing LLM-assisted contributions while rejecting hard ban and strict disclosure mandates. The 64% to 36% vote split highlights a deeply divided community grappling with copyright risks, environmental impact, and quality concerns, leaving enforcement to contributor self-regulation rather than new oversight. By sidestepping the local versus cloud LLM distinction, the resolution mirrors broader free software governance trends but leaves key ethical questions unresolved for future ballots. Proponents acknowledge the technology is evolving too rapidly for a final decision, suggesting this framework may require amendment or replacement as legal and technical landscapes shift.
Steven Barrett shipped linux-liquorix 7.1-20, merging upstream Linux 7.1.12 and refining the PDS sleep credit heuristic to balance scheduler fairness with low-latency performance. This twentieth build in under six weeks continues a rapid v7.1 series focused on Project-C scheduler maturation, hybrid CPU topology handling, and aggressive security hardening defaults. The project remains an AMD64-only enthusiast kernel that strips back power management and traditional preemptibility to prioritize frame-time consistency for gaming and audio workloads.
Liquorix has officially tagged linux-liquorix 7.1-19, building on the Linux 7.1.11 upstream base to deliver enhanced desktop responsiveness for gaming and audio workloads. The release introduces a new PDS scheduler "sleep credit" heuristic that boosts priority for interactive tasks waking from sleep, directly targeting frame-time stutter in games and audio buffer dropouts. Built on upstream Linux 7.1.11, the kernel also ships with extensive security hardening, including critical fixes for futex use-after-free vulnerabilities, HID subsystem bounds-validation flaws like a Joy-Con out-of-bounds read, and Bluetooth stack state corruption. Available for Debian, Ubuntu, and Arch, this drop-in kernel replacement prioritizes low-latency scheduling over raw throughput to keep interactive systems responsive.
XanMod has released updates for all three kernel branches with Edge moving to 7.2.1, Main to 7.1.11, and LTS to 6.18.47. The releases are heavily focused on security, bringing coordinated hardening patches for the futex subsystem to fix private hash resize races and significant fixes for HID drivers addressing out-of-bounds reads in Nintendo Joy-Con controllers and unbounded recursion in Magic Mouse drivers. Beyond security, the builds retain XanMod's standard LLVM ThinLTO optimizations and include third-party patchsets for Steam Deck support, AMD 3D V-Cache, and Google BBRv3, while the LTS branch adds legacy x86-64-v1 support for older hardware. Users should verify NVIDIA driver compatibility before upgrading, as the project warns that some DKMS modules may lag behind these new kernel versions.
Liquorix 7.1-18 is out, tracking the Linux 7.1.10 base and introducing "Project-C" scheduler micro-optimizations. The release drops two targeted patches that streamline a context switch lookup and correct a branch prediction hint on the non-migratable task path. Maintainer Steven Barrett continues his rapid August release cadence while bundling the standard low-latency defaults like hard kernel preemption and a 1000 Hz tick rate. AMD64 packages are available now for Debian, Ubuntu, and Arch via the official one-line install script.
Liquorix maintainer Steven Barrett released another kernel built on the upstream Linux v7.1.10 base. The update applies four cache-line-aware optimizations directly to the Project-C scheduler's hot paths, prioritizing data locality over algorithmic trimming. These changes specifically target context switch overhead and SMT idle coordination, making them most relevant for AMD Ryzen desktops running gaming or low-latency audio workloads. The release shipped just five hours after the base kernel merge, underscoring an active development pace that closely tracks upstream stable releases.
Steven Barrett has released Liquorix kernel 7.1-16, merging upstream Linux v7.1.10 with ongoing Project-C scheduler optimizations and standard security hardening. The update focuses on stability and incremental jitter reduction rather than introducing major new features, keeping the kernel tuned for interactive workloads like gaming and audio production. Available exclusively for AMD64 systems via a one-liner installer, the release builds on previous iterations by refining threading defaults and aligning Linux Security Modules with major distributions. While the non-LTS 7.1 tree means eventual upgrades are necessary, enthusiasts targeting low-latency desktop performance will find another reliable, polished iteration in the project's long-running track.
Liquorix 7.1-15 just shipped with eight targeted patches focused on Project-C's prio_balance() and context-switch hot paths. The release skips upstream feature backports in favor of cheap early returns and dead code elimination to shave microseconds off every scheduling decision. AMD64 users on Debian, Ubuntu, or Arch can grab the build with a one-line install script, though you'll be trading power efficiency for that signature low-latency responsiveness.
XanMod released version 7.2.0-xanmod1 of its Edge branch kernel on August 21, 2026, delivering a performance-focused rolling release for Linux power users. Key additions include full Steam Deck driver integration, native AMD 3D V-Cache optimization, and Google's BBRv3 as the default TCP congestion control for faster networking. The build utilizes LLVM with software pipelining and polyhedral loop optimizations, providing tailored packages for modern x64v2 and x64v3 microarchitectures. You can upgrade immediately by adding the official APT repository or downloading the .deb files directly from the XanMod GitLab releases page.
Liquorix Linux Kernel 7.1-14 arrived on August 19, 2026, merging the upstream Linux 7.1.9 base with a major security configuration overhaul. The update aligns the project's Linux Security Module settings with Arch, Debian, and Ubuntu defaults, enabling AppArmor as the primary access control system and adding Landlock sandboxing support. Performance tuning remains fully intact, keeping the PDS scheduler, 1,000Hz tick rate, and hard kernel preemption enabled for low-latency desktop workloads. You can install it today through the official auto-setup script, the Ubuntu PPA, or the Arch User Repository.
XanMod has released dual kernel builds, 7.1.9-xanmod1 and 6.18.45-xanmod1 with roughly 280 and 200 patches respectively. The update prioritizes network stack security and performance, packing in over forty networking fixes, OpenVPN hardening, and optimizations like Cloudflare TCP collapse and AMD 3D V-Cache support. Built exclusively for Debian and Ubuntu systems, the LTS branch extends support through December 2028 and retains a real-time variant, while the mainline tree focuses on bleeding-edge hardware for x86_64 v2 and v3 CPU profiles.
Steven Barrett has released Liquorix Linux Kernel 7.1-13, enabling threaded IRQs by default to minimize latency spikes and improve responsiveness for gaming and A/V production workloads. Built on upstream Linux 7.1.8, this release continues the maturation of the Project-C scheduler with optimizations like fork-aware runtime accounting and hard kernel preemption.
Debian 11 "Bullseye" will officially reach the end of its Long Term Support period on 31 August 2026, marking the deadline after which the project stops issuing security patches. Since its initial release on 14 August 2021, Bullseye has spent nearly five years delivering stable performance with Linux kernel 5.10 and GNOME 40. Debian recommends migrating to Debian 12 "Bookworm" for immediate support until June 2028, or Debian 13 "Trixie," which offers long-term coverage until 2035. If you require extended protection beyond the official LTS window, Freexian provides a commercial Extended LTS service running until June 2031 for sponsored packages only.
