Linux Kernel 6.14 Is A Big Leap Forward In Performance And Windows Compatibility

It's bully to cognize I'm not nan only 1 who tin rustle a deadline. Linux Torvalds confessed that he'd emotion to person had "some bully excuse for why I didn't do nan 6.14 merchandise yesterday connected my regular Sunday day merchandise schedule. …  But no. It's conscionable axenic incompetence. Because perfectly thing last-minute happened yesterday, and I was conscionable clearing up immoderate unrelated things successful bid to beryllium fresh for nan merge window. And successful nan process conscionable wholly forgot to really ever trim nan release. D'oh."

Also: How to compile your first Linux kernel (and 3 reasons why you should)

Despite nan insignificant delay, Linux 6.14 arrives packed pinch cutting-edge features and improvements to powerfulness upcoming Linux distributions, specified arsenic nan forthcoming Ubuntu 25.04 and Fedora 42.

The large news for desktop users is nan improved NTSYNC driver, particularly those who for illustration to play Windows games aliases tally Windows programs connected Linux. This driver is designed to emulate Windows NT synchronization primitives. What that characteristic intends for you and maine is that it will importantly amended nan capacity of Windows programs moving connected Wine and Steam Play. 

Also: EU OS takes a 'layered' attack to its caller Linux distro for nan nationalist sector

Linux gamers are eagerly awaiting this release. YouTube Linux video big Gardiner Bryant proclaimed, "NTSYNC will alteration Linux gaming forever." On Reddit, 1 poster said, "NTsync hits each points. It's fast, portable, robust, and correct. The correctness comes from conscionable consecutive up implementing Windows style synchronization semantics successful a kernel module alternatively than trying to jury-rig aliases iterate connected nan futex/futex2 interface."

Gamers ever want nan champion imaginable graphics performance, truthful they'll besides beryllium happy to spot that Linux now supports precocious launched AMD RDNA 4 graphics cards. This attack includes support for nan AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 graphics cards. Combine this support pinch nan recently improved open-source RADV driver and AMD gamers should spot nan champion velocity yet connected their gaming rigs.

Of course, nan merchandise is not conscionable for gamers. Linux 6.14 besides includes respective AMD and Intel processor enhancements. These boosts attraction connected powerfulness management, thermal control, and compute capacity optimizations. These updates are expected to amended wide strategy ratio and performance.

This merchandise besides comes pinch nan AMDXDNA driver, which provides charismatic support for AMD's neural processing units based connected nan XDNA architecture. This integration enables businesslike execution of AI workloads, specified arsenic convolutional neural networks and ample connection models, straight connected supported AMD hardware.

Also: Finally, a Linux laptop pinch a superb show and capacity that rivals my MacBook

While Rust has faced immoderate difficulties successful caller months successful Linux, much Rust programming connection abstractions person been integrated into nan kernel, laying nan groundwork for early drivers written successful Rust. As Greg Kroah-Hartman, nan unchangeable Linux kernel maintainer, precocious pointed out, pinch "rust misc driver bindings and different rust changes to make misc drivers really possible. I deliberation this is nan tipping point, expect to spot measurement much rust drivers going guardant now that these bindings are present." 

Besides drivers, Miguel Ojeda, Rust for Linux's lead developer, said precocious that nan preamble of nan macro for smart pointers pinch Rust 1.84: derive(CoercePointee) is an "important milestone connected nan measurement to building a kernel that only uses unchangeable Rust functions." This attack will besides make integrating C and Rust codification easier. We're getting overmuch person to Rust being grafted into Linux's tree. 

In addition, Linux 6.14 supports Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile processor, enhancing capacity and stableness for devices powered by this chipset. That support intends you tin expect to spot much faster Android-based smartphones later this year.

Also: The 4 astir Windows-like Linux distros to effort because alteration is hard

This merchandise includes a spot for nan alleged GhostWrite vulnerability, which tin beryllium utilized to guidelines immoderate RISC-V processors. This hole will artifact specified attacks.

Additionally, Linux 6.14 includes improvements for nan copy-on-write Btrfs record system/logical measurement manager. These chiefly read-balancing methods connection elasticity for different RAID hardware configurations and workloads. Additionally, support for uncached buffered I/O optimizes representation usage connected systems pinch accelerated retention devices.

In short, nan Linux kernel 6.14 represents a awesome measurement guardant successful Linux's evolution, offering a robust group of features that cater to divers personification needs, from gaming enthusiasts to AI researchers and developers. Despite nan insignificant hold successful its release, nan kernel's enhancements solidify Linux's position arsenic a versatile and forward-thinking platform. 

Also: What's nan champion tiling model head for a Linux beginner?

If you want to commencement tinkering pinch nan kernel today, you can: Linux 6.14 is now disposable for download. Looking ahead, Torvalds expects much changes for 6.15 because of a "pending heap of propulsion requests."