Linux Kernel 6.19-rc5 released
Linus Torvalds recently released the fifth release candidate for version 6.19, which aligns with his typical schedule following post-holiday slowdowns. Therefore, timing-wise, it feels perfectly normal now after skipping ahead in the schedule earlier because of the break.
Now what does RC5 actually look like? Well, there's a fair bit here, mostly as expected: lots of driver updates again. Turns out they make up roughly two-thirds of this specific RC patch bundle, with GPU folks and the networking crew really driving things forward, almost literally! However, the driver's work is not the sole focus. Other stuff is chipping in too, like various filesystem tweaks (think Btrfs, NFSd, and EROFS) and some tooling bits that mostly fit alongside those driver changes.
You can also find smaller adjustments scattered elsewhere if you poke around enough, but nothing screams major feature creep or anything dramatic here; the patch review gives a decent idea of what's being addressed. RC5 seems like one of those fairly standard iterations before we reach the 6.x stable code later on.
Speaking of contributors, looking at who signed these off confirms quite a bit of headroom still exists between RC5 and the final release (given the holiday delay), with names like Abdun Nihaal, Al Viro, Alan Liu, and Alex Deucher popping up alongside many others. These folks are tackling issues across memory management, device handling, and security basics, all key parts of keeping Linux humming along reliably.
Some specific work deserves mention: there's solid network driver cleanup happening, including fixes for tricky data-race bugs in netfilter stuff and potential pointer mishaps elsewhere, like in mlx5e. Elsewhere too, patches aim to beef up core stability by tackling memory leaks or use-after-free errors that could trip things up later.
Driver updates are ongoing naturally as well; think Intel graphics drivers getting attention alongside AMD display work. Some tweaks focus on enabling features, while others fix logic quirks related to devices like DMA buffers or interrupt handling setups. The cumulative effect is significant.
The sheer number of changes across so many areas is quite something, though, even if some seem small at first glance. Collectively? They undoubtedly address vulnerabilities and enhance Linux's performance, paving the way for the imminent release of stable version 6.19.
Linux kernel 6.19-rc5 released
Linux kernel version 6.19-rc5 is now available:
Full source: https://git.kernel.org/torvalds/t/linux-6.19-rc5.tar.gz
Patch: https://git.kernel.org/torvalds/p/v6.19-rc5/v6.18
You can view the summary of the changes at the following URL:
https://git.kernel.org/torvalds/ds/v6.19-rc5/v6.19-rc4
