news
Linux 6.16
It's Sunday afternoon, and the release cycle has come to an end. Last week was nice and calm, and there were no big show-stopper surprises to keep us from the regular schedule, so I've tagged and pushed out 6.16 as planned.
It's worth noting that the upcoming merge window for 6.17 is going to be slightly chaotic for me: I have multiple family events this August (a wedding and a big birthday), and with said family being spread not only across the US, but in Finland too, I'm spending about half the month traveling.
That means that I will try very hard to get most of the merge window done the first week before my travels start, and I already ended up giving a heads-up on that to the people who tend to send me the most pull requests. An indeed, I already have 50 pull requests pending, so thanks to people who took that heads-up to heart.
So I hope that the merge window will be smooth despite my travel schedule, but I wanted to to just mention this just in case: if I end up unable to deal with all merge window pull requests the second week, I might delay rc1 a bit just to catch up.
That does not mean that I'll be more lenient to late pull requests (probably quite the reverse, since it's just going to add to the potential chaos), it just means that I might have some pulls that I ended up delaying until I got back home (only for then fly off again a week later to the second event). So if I don't cut a -rc1 like clockwork in two weeks, don't panic - it just means I'll do it a few days later.
Again: I *think* it's all going to be fine and we'll have a normal merge window schedule, I'm just mentioning this as a "things might not go as smoothly as I hope because I'm off gallivanting on family business" possibility.
But enough about the next release. The *current* release is out, and looks fine, and as mentioned last week was really small and calm. Shortlog for that below for people who want to see the details, but it's really not all that interesting (in all the best ways!). It's almost all small driver fixlets, with some random noise sprinkled around elsewhere. Not a lot of patches, and they are all small.
Linus
Update
In It's FOSS:
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Latest Linux Kernel 6.16 is all Focused on AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA
A new Linux release is here with improved performance, better reliability, and expanded support for new hardware. Landing two months after the previous version, it marks another milestone in the ongoing development of the kernel that powers much of the IT world.
OMG!Joey:
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Linux 6.16 Released with OpenVPN Speed Boost, 5-Level Paging + More
The Linux 6.16 kernel is officially out, bringing a host of improvements across networking, security, and hardware support that future versions of Ubuntu will benefit from.
Why the forward-looking phrasing? Because Ubuntu 25.10 will ship with the next kernel, 6.17, which is due out in September.
But what’s included here is still of note. Kernels are cumulative; the performance and feature upgrades Linux 6.16 offers be ‘new’ to those upgrading later this year, and to LTS users who receive that kernel as a HWE upgrade early next year.
By Marius:
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Linux Kernel 6.16 Officially Released, This Is What’s New
Linux kernel 6.16 is now available for download with new features, enhanced hardware support through new and updated drivers, improvements to filesystems and networking, and much more. Here’s what’s new!
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GNU Linux-Libre 6.16 Kernel Is Now Available for Software Freedom Lovers
GNU Linux-Libre 6.16 kernel is now available for download. This release is based on GNU/Linux kernel 6.16 and it’s targeted at those who seek 100% freedom for their personal computers.
LWN:
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The 6.16 kernel is out
Linus has released the 6.16 kernel [...]:
Late one:
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Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with New Hardware Support (Mainline PPA)
Linux Kernel 6.16 was released last night! Linus Torvalds announced: It’s Sunday afternoon, and the release cycle has come to an end. Last week was nice and calm, and there were no big show-stopper surprises to keep us from the regular schedule, so I’ve tagged and pushed out 6.16 as planned.
Neowin:
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Linux 6.16 released as Linus Torvalds warns of potential 6.17 delay
Linus Torvalds has just released GNU/Linux 6.16, however, he warns he has some travel plans upcoming so the GNU/Linux 6.17 merge window could be disrupted.
CNX Software:
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Linux 6.16 Release – Main changes, Arm, RISC-V, and MIPS architectures
Linus Torvalds has just announced the release of Linux 6.16 on LKML: It’s Sunday afternoon, and the release cycle has come to an end. Last week was nice and calm, and there were no big show-stopper surprises to keep us from the regular schedule, so I’ve tagged and pushed out 6.16 as planned.
One more:
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Linux 6.16 released, Torvalds fears delay for 6.17
The stable version of Linux 6.16 has been released. According to Linus Torvalds (photo), the last week of the development cycle went smoothly and quietly, with no significant issues that disrupted the planned schedule.
As a result, an eighth release candidate was not necessary and the release could take place as planned on Sunday. Distributions can now pick up the new kernel version and make it available to their users.
Linux 6.16 mainly contains minor driver fixes and improvements spread across various subsystems. The number of patches is limited and the changes are compact, which Torvalds says is ideal for a stable release. It is also mentioned that this version offers improved support for new hardware, although no further details are provided.
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Torvalds warns of ‘chaotic’ merge window for Linux kernel 6.17
Linus Torvalds has given developers a heads-up that the merge window for Linux kernel 6.17 could be “slightly chaotic”.
In his release announcement on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML), Torvalds confirmed that Linux kernel 6.16 was ready following a calm final week.
“It’s Sunday afternoon, and the release cycle has come to an end,” Torvalds wrote. “Last week was nice and calm, and there were no big show-stopper surprises to keep us from the regular schedule, so I’ve tagged and pushed out 6.16 as planned.”