Linux 2.6.31 Kernel Is Ready With -RC8 Release

Linus Torvalds has announced the release of the Linux 2.6.31-rc8 kernel this evening, which he expects will be the last release candidate before this quarterly Linux kernel update goes gold in just over one week. Linux 2.6.31-rc8 doesn't bring any particularly interesting fixes, but just small corrections around the kernel.

In the Linux 2.6.31-rc8 release announcement, Linus mentions he will be gone for the next week, but is planning on releasing the Linux 2.6.31 kernel in time for Labor Day. This American holiday falls on the 7th of September.

The Linux 2.6.31 kernel brings ATI kernel mode-setting support for the R500 (Radeon X1000) graphics cards and earlier as a staging driver, TTM GPU memory management support as part of the ATI KMS push, adds support for USB 3.0, a performance counter subsystem, new hardware drivers, and other changes.