Linus Torvalds calls for calm as bcachefs filesystem doesn't make Linux 6.5

Expect the saga of this release to stretch out a bit over northern summer

Linux kernel overseer Linus Torvalds has delivered the first release candidate for version 6.5 of the kernel, but warned this release may not go entirely smoothly.…

Torvalds's headline assessment of rc1 is "none of it looks hugely unusual."

"The biggest single mention probably goes to what wasn't merged, with the bcachefs pull request resulting in a long thread (we didn't hit a hundred emails yet, but it's not far away)."

As The Register reported in 2022, bcachefs is a filesystem that's been in development for nigh on a decade without being added to the kernel.

Kernel-watching outlet Phoronix on Sunday wrote that the filesystem is in good shape but debate over "code changes needed to the kernel outside of the kernel module itself" have proved contentious. As a result, conversation on the Linux kernel mailing list is "often becoming heated" when the topic turns to bcachefs.

In his announcement post for rc1, Torvalds wrote "Let's calm this party down."

He also voiced his "slight suspicion that this may be one of those releases that may drag out, not because there are any particular issues I expect problems with, but simply due to [a] lot of Europe going on vacation for the month of August."

He's not certain of delays, writing "We'll see how things develop." But given the Emperor Penguin's preference for development pushes that deliver seven release candidates on a weekly cadence before release of a new kernel cut, the long-range warning of possible extra release candidates is notable. Especially for those contemplating their use of the next kernel release, or their contributions to version 6.6.

Among the things that did make it into Linux 6.5 rc1 are further support for parallel CPU boot support – code that allows more x86_64 cores to be activated when machines boot and thereby improving boot speed – support for Nvidia's SHIELD controller, HDMI tweaks for the Broadcom driver used in the Raspberry Pi (and other machines) and support for the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface on RISC-V.

The release candidate is yours for the downloading here. ®

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