Articles about Linux Updates

NixOS 24.11 Vicuña is finally here after a brief week-long delay. The Linux distribution, known for its modularity and unique package management system, has been updated with new features, packages, and improvements. NixOS packages aren’t limited to the distribution itself -- they can also be used on other Linux systems and macOS, giving users flexibility beyond the standard installation. This latest release will receive bug fixes and security updates until June 31, 2025.

The development effort behind this version is impressive. A total of 2,669 contributors worked on 49,079 commits to bring this release to life. The team added 8,141 new packages, updated 20,975, and removed 3,970 to maintain security and manageability. Beyond packages, NixOS includes modules and tests that are integral to its functionality. This update introduces 119 new modules while retiring 30. Additionally, 1,706 options were added, and 556 were removed.

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Linux 6.11 is now available. In his announcement, Linus Torvalds mentioned that the release was largely uneventful, with the majority of patches being relatively small and focused. Torvalds highlighted that the most prominent update in this release is the addition of Hyper-V Confidential Computing documentation.

Torvalds, who is currently on the road in Vienna, noted that while the merge window for the next release cycle opens tomorrow, progress might be slower than usual due to his participation in Open Source Summit Europe and the Kernel Maintainer Summit. He has over 40 pull requests pending but asks for patience as he works through them.

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In a recent announcement, Linus Torvalds revealed the release of Linux 6.8. The latest version of the kernel took a bit longer to finalize due to a higher-than-preferred commit count, primarily attributed to updates in various self-tests, particularly in networking. However, the past two weeks have seen a calming of activities, allowing for the release to proceed without further delay.

Linux 6.8 does not boast the same level of groundbreaking changes as its predecessor but maintains a consistent pace with an average release size, reminiscent of the past few years. The most notable addition in this version is the new Xe DRM driver, although the bulk of the changes are scattered updates and fixes across the board.

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Today, the folks behind the lightweight Fatdog64 Linux distribution announce the release of the final version in the 800 series, Fatdog64-814. The developers confirmed that no further releases are planned for this series. However, that's far from the end of the road for Fatdog64 -- the project will continue to innovate and evolve with a brand-new base, the 900 series.

Taking a closer look at the updates from the previous version, Fatdog64-814 incorporates Linux-5.19.17, known for its low-latency, 1000Hz, dynamic preemption. A testament to its commitment to keeping current, the team has included microcode updates as recent as those of October 2022.

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