5 ms·

Linux 5.19

72 points by jrepinc 4y ago

ah- 4y ago
On a personal note, the most interesting part here is that I did the release (and am writing this) on an arm64 laptop. It's something I've been waiting for for a _loong_ time, and it's finally reality, thanks to the Asahi team. We've had arm64 hardware around running Linux for a long time, but none of it has really been usable as a development platform until now. It's the third time I'm using Apple hardware for Linux development - I did it many years ago for powerpc development on a ppc970 machine. And then a decade+ ago when the Macbook Air was the only real thin-and-lite around. And now as an arm64 platform. Not that I've used it for any real work, I literally have only been doing test builds and boots and now the actual release tagging. But I'm trying to make sure that the next time I travel, I can travel with this as a laptop and finally dogfooding the arm64 side too.
- rowanG077 4y ago
  Awesome! I remember Linus wanting to use the M1 macbooks but he was very somber on Linux working on there.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- jasoneckert 4y ago
  Ditto here - I've been using Asahi as my daily driver (development workstation) for over 3 months now with no plans on changing from it any time soon: https://jasoneckert.github.io/myblog/asahi-linux/ https://jasoneckert.github.io/myblog/asahi-linux/
  - blt 4y ago
    excitedly waiting for video output and sleep to work on the laptops!
- tux1968 4y ago
  For anyone else that didn't know, Asahi is Linux crafted for the Apple M1 chip: https://asahilinux.org/about/ https://asahilinux.org/about/
nequo 4y ago
I like the evolutionary approach of the Linux kernel's development model means that version numbers are arbitrary labels: Anyway, regardless of all that, this obviously means that the merge window (*) will open tomorrow. [...] (*) I'll likely call it 6.0 since I'm starting to worry about getting confused by big numbers again. The new version of the Linux kernel is out and we can just get on with our lives.
- sph 4y ago
  I don't think there's anything good or insightful in Linus' approach to version numbers. I think he just doesn't care about it at all, and so why not have some fun. In my view version numbers either have a significance (semver & co.) or just get rid of it and use something derived from a date. Because why is it 5.19 then 6.0 and not sqrt(2) and tomorrow we try negative numbers? No software depends on a specific kernel version number, thankfully, so as a sysadmin I'd rather have Linux 2022.5.2 (year.sequential-number.patch) than 5.19. Possibly unpopular idea since I get bashed every time I criticize Linux and its versioning, as if I shouldn't dare question it.
  - NullPrefix 4y ago
    Negative numbers would be hard to parse. Is Linux-5.19 version -5.19, the negative, or 5.19, the positive?
    - sph 4y ago
      The two minuses negate each other. Linux--5.19 == Linux+5.19
  - heywoodlh 4y ago
    That's an interesting perspective. I am also a sysadmin and I sometimes care about the kernel I run (I run the Zen kernel on my XPS running Arch), but I also don't really find much value in the version number unless it has a feature I need/want. Like you, it wouldn't add or detract for me to know that a feature I want is in kernel 5.19 vs version 2022.5.2. Huh, although, the one question I'm not sure about would be LTS releases. For some reason -- in my head, at least -- it feels unorganized to mark a version based on date as an LTS. I guess Ubuntu does that and it doesn't bother me but for some reason I have a double standard with the kernel. Tangent: is there an official timeline where the decided support lifetime for the kernel versions are? Something like Ubuntu's lifecycle table[1]? I ask because there was one time I was gonna run 5.10 but wasn't sure when it was EOL because Greg K H was going to shorten it but then decided to extend it. [1] https://ubuntu.com/about/release-cycle https://ubuntu.com/about/release-cycle
brianhorakh 4y ago
Hopefully rust language enhancements will finally merge into Linux 6.0 i believe Linus knows how significant RUST would be for multi-arch linux. This benign version bump should give all the C++ devs plenty of headroom to stay in a stable 5.x while the rustaceans oxidize the kernel ecosystem to make it (more) architecturally neutral, typesafe, easier to dev modules and more secure. Ive been a linux user since 0.97 and I can't recall being this excited about the future!
- CaliforniaKarl 4y ago
  C++? The Linux kernel is written in C, not C++.
  - smegsicle 4y ago
    must be confusing linux kernel with windows kernel happens all the time
- sph 4y ago
  I don't think Linus cares about Rust at all. He's been hands off about it, he knows kernel devs would like to adopt it so he's neutral, but I'll bet a tenner he will not start writing Rust anytime soon, and, if I can be so presumptuous to make assumptions, I don't think he's much of a fan, for many of the same reasons he prefers C over C++. I think Linus would be more of a Zig guy. I'm being tongue in cheek here, please do not read too much into this.
  - claudiojulio 4y ago
    C++ is insecure in memory and has infinite unexpected behavior. Rust, on the other hand, does not compare with it, as it is safe. Linus doesn't like C++ because it sucks.
    - kcexn 4y ago
      If I recall correctly, Linus doesn't like C++ because it introduces abstractions that take control away from the programmer and delegates it to the compiler. Over time this just reduces the performance of the kernel, and makes it harder to find the root cause of faults and bugs.
gigel82 4y ago
Oh no, is Linus switching over to the dark side? (using an Apple laptop)
- have_faith 4y ago
  Didn’t he use an Air for many years?
  - jjice 4y ago
    Yeah, he mentions this is his third Apple machine. He doesn't have anything against the hardware as far as I'm aware - just wants Linux to run on it.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- darthrupert 4y ago
  X86 might not be the dark side, but it feels every day more and more like the Dark Age.
pkrumins 4y ago
I just checked and I still have some older servers running 2.6.22 from almost 10 years ago. I like the saying: if it ain’t broke don’t upgrade it.
- yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
  If it's truly not broken (especially no security exposure), then sure, but that's rare, and Linux is good enough about backwards compatibility that there's generally no reason not to use a newer kernel.

72 points by jrepinc 4y ago

ah- 4y ago

On a personal note, the most interesting part here is that I did the release (and am writing this) on an arm64 laptop. It's something I've been waiting for for a _loong_ time, and it's finally reality, thanks to the Asahi team. We've had arm64 hardware around running Linux for a long time, but none of it has really been usable as a development platform until now. It's the third time I'm using Apple hardware for Linux development - I did it many years ago for powerpc development on a ppc970 machine. And then a decade+ ago when the Macbook Air was the only real thin-and-lite around. And now as an arm64 platform. Not that I've used it for any real work, I literally have only been doing test builds and boots and now the actual release tagging. But I'm trying to make sure that the next time I travel, I can travel with this as a laptop and finally dogfooding the arm64 side too.

rowanG077 4y ago
Awesome! I remember Linus wanting to use the M1 macbooks but he was very somber on Linux working on there.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
jasoneckert 4y ago
Ditto here - I've been using Asahi as my daily driver (development workstation) for over 3 months now with no plans on changing from it any time soon: https://jasoneckert.github.io/myblog/asahi-linux/ https://jasoneckert.github.io/myblog/asahi-linux/
- blt 4y ago
  excitedly waiting for video output and sleep to work on the laptops!
tux1968 4y ago
For anyone else that didn't know, Asahi is Linux crafted for the Apple M1 chip: https://asahilinux.org/about/ https://asahilinux.org/about/

nequo 4y ago

I like the evolutionary approach of the Linux kernel's development model means that version numbers are arbitrary labels: Anyway, regardless of all that, this obviously means that the merge window (*) will open tomorrow. [...] (*) I'll likely call it 6.0 since I'm starting to worry about getting confused by big numbers again. The new version of the Linux kernel is out and we can just get on with our lives.

sph 4y ago
I don't think there's anything good or insightful in Linus' approach to version numbers. I think he just doesn't care about it at all, and so why not have some fun. In my view version numbers either have a significance (semver & co.) or just get rid of it and use something derived from a date. Because why is it 5.19 then 6.0 and not sqrt(2) and tomorrow we try negative numbers? No software depends on a specific kernel version number, thankfully, so as a sysadmin I'd rather have Linux 2022.5.2 (year.sequential-number.patch) than 5.19. Possibly unpopular idea since I get bashed every time I criticize Linux and its versioning, as if I shouldn't dare question it.
- NullPrefix 4y ago
  Negative numbers would be hard to parse. Is Linux-5.19 version -5.19, the negative, or 5.19, the positive?
  - sph 4y ago
    The two minuses negate each other. Linux--5.19 == Linux+5.19
- heywoodlh 4y ago
  That's an interesting perspective. I am also a sysadmin and I sometimes care about the kernel I run (I run the Zen kernel on my XPS running Arch), but I also don't really find much value in the version number unless it has a feature I need/want. Like you, it wouldn't add or detract for me to know that a feature I want is in kernel 5.19 vs version 2022.5.2. Huh, although, the one question I'm not sure about would be LTS releases. For some reason -- in my head, at least -- it feels unorganized to mark a version based on date as an LTS. I guess Ubuntu does that and it doesn't bother me but for some reason I have a double standard with the kernel. Tangent: is there an official timeline where the decided support lifetime for the kernel versions are? Something like Ubuntu's lifecycle table[1]? I ask because there was one time I was gonna run 5.10 but wasn't sure when it was EOL because Greg K H was going to shorten it but then decided to extend it. [1] https://ubuntu.com/about/release-cycle https://ubuntu.com/about/release-cycle

brianhorakh 4y ago

Hopefully rust language enhancements will finally merge into Linux 6.0 i believe Linus knows how significant RUST would be for multi-arch linux. This benign version bump should give all the C++ devs plenty of headroom to stay in a stable 5.x while the rustaceans oxidize the kernel ecosystem to make it (more) architecturally neutral, typesafe, easier to dev modules and more secure. Ive been a linux user since 0.97 and I can't recall being this excited about the future!

CaliforniaKarl 4y ago
C++? The Linux kernel is written in C, not C++.
- smegsicle 4y ago
  must be confusing linux kernel with windows kernel happens all the time
sph 4y ago
I don't think Linus cares about Rust at all. He's been hands off about it, he knows kernel devs would like to adopt it so he's neutral, but I'll bet a tenner he will not start writing Rust anytime soon, and, if I can be so presumptuous to make assumptions, I don't think he's much of a fan, for many of the same reasons he prefers C over C++. I think Linus would be more of a Zig guy. I'm being tongue in cheek here, please do not read too much into this.
- claudiojulio 4y ago
  C++ is insecure in memory and has infinite unexpected behavior. Rust, on the other hand, does not compare with it, as it is safe. Linus doesn't like C++ because it sucks.
  - kcexn 4y ago
    If I recall correctly, Linus doesn't like C++ because it introduces abstractions that take control away from the programmer and delegates it to the compiler. Over time this just reduces the performance of the kernel, and makes it harder to find the root cause of faults and bugs.

gigel82 4y ago

Oh no, is Linus switching over to the dark side? (using an Apple laptop)

have_faith 4y ago
Didn’t he use an Air for many years?
- jjice 4y ago
  Yeah, he mentions this is his third Apple machine. He doesn't have anything against the hardware as far as I'm aware - just wants Linux to run on it.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
darthrupert 4y ago
X86 might not be the dark side, but it feels every day more and more like the Dark Age.

pkrumins 4y ago

I just checked and I still have some older servers running 2.6.22 from almost 10 years ago. I like the saying: if it ain’t broke don’t upgrade it.

yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
If it's truly not broken (especially no security exposure), then sure, but that's rare, and Linux is good enough about backwards compatibility that there's generally no reason not to use a newer kernel.