Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
The latest iteration of the Linux kernel has arrived and it contains some pretty cool features. And, according to Linus Torvalds (the creator of Linux), this release "...has been going smoothly."
There are plenty of the usual code clean-ups, fixes, and upgrades to existing features. But taking the limelight for this release is the initial support for USB4 and WiFi 7.
WiFi 7 supports the 6Ghz band and has a max data rate of 23 Gbps, so getting this rolled into the kernel should give Linux a big boost in network speeds. As well, USB4 supports up to 80 Gps data transfer rate, so there's another area that will give Linux an increase. Remember, however, this is just initial support, so don't expect to see these newer technologies working just yet.
Other changes added to the 6.5 kernel include fixes for Intel P-State CPU scaling, three modes for amd-pstate (active, passive, and guided autonomous), Btrfs performance and storage optimizations, rumble support for the latest iterations of Xbox controllers, overclocking support for AMD Radeon RX 7000 GPUs, optimizations for AMD and Intel graphics drivers, more Rust code, support for new hotkeys found on ThinkBook 14s Yoga ITL, and much more.
You can read the full list of changes and fixes in this post by Torvalds.
When the Linux 6.5 kernel hits your distribution will vary. Rolling release distributions like Arch and Fedora (a semi-rolling release) should see it soon. Ubuntu (and its derivatives) should see 6.5 along with Ubuntu 23.10.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.