Everyone uses Linux, and companies are willing to pay to develop it, but maintaining Linux's code? That's another matter. . At the Linux Foundation Members Summit , Jonathan Corbet, Linux kernel developer and executive editor of Linux Weekly News, explained where the pain points are for Linux kernel maintainers and why it's getting to be a bit much for all of Linux's cooks. Indeed, many Linux code maintainers are burning out. Why? There are many reasons. First, though, you need to understand what Linux kernel maintainers actually do. They're the people who take the code from thousands of developers, check it for errors, make sure there are no regressions, coordinate the code with the patches from other maintainers from further up and down the tree, and finally herd the patches toward the mainline. Oh, and manage backports. That's a lot of work, but it's only the "fun" code part. Maintainers must also mediate developer disagreements and interact with vendors and users. The latter can range from talking to hardware companies to try to get them to open-source their drivers, and assisting developers on how to build a driver, to helping a user having trouble with his laptop touchpad -- quite possibly because the aforementioned vendor never cooperated when the touchpad driver was first built. . During the annual Linux Foundation Members Summit, Jonathan Corbet elaborates on the responsibilities of kernel maintainers and the obstacles they face in their work.. Kernel Development, Open Source Contributions, Linux Maintainers. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
The Linux 6.3 kernel series is now marked as EOL on the kernel.org website and the last release is 6.3.13. . The time has come to say goodbye to the Linux 6.3 kernel series as it’s now marked as EOL (End of Life) on the kernel.org website, meaning it will no longer be supported with bug and security fixes. Earlier today, renowned Linux kernel maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman announced the release of Linux kernel 6.3.13 as the thirteenth maintenance update to the Linux 6.3 kernel series, an update that brings quite a lot of changes (481 files changed, 4919 insertions, and 2870 deletions). However, Greg Kroah-Hartman also marked the Linux kernel 6.3 series as EOL (End of Life) on the kernel.org website, noting the fact that Linux kernel 6.3.13 is the last update in the series and urging users to upgrade their Linux systems to the latest Linux 6.4 kernel as soon as possible. The link for this article located at 9 to 5 Linux is no longer available. . The Linux 6.3 kernel series is now officially retired; users are encouraged to transition to Linux 6.4 to ensure ongoing support and enhanced security.. Linux Kernel Upgrade, Kernel Maintenance Update, Linux 6.4 Security. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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