Linux 6.14: Half a Million Lines of Code Modified!

The tech world has received another major update – Linux 6.14-rc1 has been officially released! Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds has announced the first test version (Release Candidate – RC), marking the completion of two weeks of active development on the new update.

This version is slightly smaller than usual, mainly due to the holiday season slowing down the development process. However, it still includes over 500,000 lines of code modifications and more than 10,000 commits (changes), excluding 9,300 merges that were not counted in the statistics. While this update is smaller compared to previous major releases, it remains highly significant.

According to Torvalds, despite being more compact, this version is stable and includes crucial enhancements:

🛠 More than half of the code changes focus on drivers, improving hardware compatibility and performance.
📂 Major file system updates, including modifications to Btrfs, XFS, GFS2, F2FS, and NTFS3.
🌍 Enhanced network infrastructure, with improvements to the BPF (Berkeley Packet Filter), NFS client-server updates, and general network fixes.
🔒 Stronger security measures, featuring significant enhancements to SELinux and other security modules.
⚙ Architecture improvements, particularly for x86 platforms, including better RAS (Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability), SEV (Secure Encrypted Virtualization), and microcode loader enhancements.
🔌 Expanded hardware support, with updates for ARM-based SoC (System-on-Chip) platforms and significant improvements for RISC-V architecture.

Torvalds expressed optimism that this smaller release might lead to a smoother stabilization process:
“A smaller release might also mean a trouble-free stabilization phase. Time will tell.”

Linux 6.14-rc1 is now available for testing by developers and advanced users, who can contribute to refining the final version by sharing their feedback and insights.

If everything proceeds as expected, the final release of Linux 6.14 is anticipated by late March 2025. However, the exact date will depend on how many additional Release Candidate (RC) versions Linus Torvalds decides to introduce.

If you want to test Linux 6.14, you can download the tarball from the official Linux kernel website!