The Most Interesting Features Of The Linux 4.14 Kernel

[phoronix]

Phoronix: The Most Interesting Features Of The Linux 4.14 Kernel

If Linux 4.14 weren't an LTS release with so many changes, it would likely be released today with -rc7 having come last week, but due to the size of this new kernel, 4.14-rc8 will most likely be christened today followed by Linux 4.14 next weekend. Here's a reminder about some of the most technically interesting work in this new kernel update...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-4.14-Favorite-Features

[leigh123linux]

It's a shame that the AMD shit breaks the nvidia drivers

https://www.spinics.net/lists/linux-arch/msg41946.html

[garegin]

I never understood why the ryzen segfault bug only affected linux.
can someone explain why windows is not affected.

[Guest]

The proprietaery nvidia driver is tolerated as is and it's operating in a legal grey zone.

I felt there were legal issues behind the nvidia kernel driver source code when NVIDIA developers opted to not talk to their lawyers when the kernel module didn't build against 4.11.0 and then a linux kernel change had to be revered for 4.11.1 and 4.12.

https://www.spinics.net/lists/stable/msg170947.html

[boxie]

I never understood why the ryzen segfault bug only affected linux.
can someone explain why windows is not affected.

these 2 operating systems probably stress different paths in the CPU.

I currently have a wonderful "the pc will stop working now" under windows, but it is fine under Linux

[starshipeleven]

It's a shame that the AMD shit breaks the nvidia drivers

https://www.spinics.net/lists/linux-arch/msg41946.html

More like NVIDIA's shit is using GPL-driver-only interfaces when it really should not, and enabling an AMD processor security feature in the kernel exposes this behaviour.

[indepe]

More like NVIDIA's shit is using GPL-driver-only interfaces when it really should not, and enabling an AMD processor security feature in the kernel exposes this behaviour.

To me it sounds more like things were changed underneath nvidia's software that caused it to look like it was using something that it doesn't actually need.

In general, I think it is simple: As long as Linux doesn't fully support binary hardware drivers and applications, it will remain a small niche system. Otherwise it could become an important operating system that is a true alternative.

[c117152]

As long as Linux doesn't fully support binary hardware drivers and applications, it will remain a small niche system.

1. Linux isn't small. It's a huge, obese behemoth.

2. Linux isn't niche: It runs on everything from supercomputers, to servers to toasters. With the exception of Windows on desktops, Linux holds dominant market share on every other platform.

3. Linux isn't a system: It's a kernel. Combined with a user-land, it's a system.

More importantly, WSL just graduated from beta and will allow running linux daemons on boot with the next windows 10 release so there's nothing stopping you from running windows if you're fine with closed source drivers. The rest of us will stick to open source thank-you-very-much.

[starshipeleven]

To me it sounds more like things were changed underneath nvidia's software that caused it to look like it was using something that it doesn't actually need.

Ehhh, that's not what the devs said. It's using that interface, it should not use that, the situation is tolerated because fighting over this would be worse for all, but any breakage of their own out-of-tree driver is their own problem, just as with every other out-of-tree driver.

As long as Linux doesn't fully support binary hardware drivers and applications, it will remain a small niche system. Otherwise it could become an important operating system that is a true alternative.

It's not going to compete with Windows on PC anyway due to purely economical or legacy reasons, so if by "true alternative" you are talking of PC, then forget it. Only way for Linux to get on PC is when Windows is weak or irrelevant enough, regardless of technical decisions.

Meanwhile its model and flexibility has allowed it to conquer or keep a strong presence pretty much everywhere else, in quite remunerative areas too.

OEMs can adapt fine to Linux if they wanted to, the same as they adapted to obey Microsoft's and Intel's "law" on standards, interfaces, drivers and whatnot.

[Hi-Angel]

I am also excited about this patchset. Looks like a cool optimization, especially if look the areas it's influencing in the changeset. it's already commited to the soon to be released 4.14.