The Biggest Features Of Linux 4.19: Intel/AMD, CoC, 802.11ax, EROFS, GPS & GASKET
Some of the biggest -- or at least most user-facing -- changes of the Linux 4.19 kernel includes:
- Continued bring-up of Intel Icelake graphics support... A bulk of the code is in place but it looks like it will be deemed stable in the next kernel release or two. That timing still should be adequate with Icelake desktop CPUs likely at least one year out still.
- Many AMD Raven Ridge APU improvements including "stutter mode" support, GFXOFF for turning of the graphics engine when not needed, DC display code improvements, JPEG VCN engine support, and more.
- AMD Radeon Sea Islands (CIK / GCN 1.1) hardware now uses PowerPlay support by default. Granted, GCN 1.0/1.1 hardware still isn't defaulting to the AMDGPU driver but rather the older Radeon driver.
- A build-time option for the kernel to indicate whether you trust your CPU's hardware random number generator.
- Various Spectre mitigation improvements for different architectures like s390, POWER, and continued x86 work.
- EROFS is a new file-system to Linux 4.19 that is a read-only file-system developed by Huawei for future mobile hardware.
- The F2FS file-system enables DISCARD by default.
- Initial 802.11ax WiFi support.
- Creative Recon3D sound card support along with other new hardware peripheral support.
- An in-kernel GPS/GNSS subsystem has finally been added.
- Another new subsystem/framework is the Google GASKET Driver code for writing thin kernel drivers and punting the rest of the driver logic into user-space.
- An in-tree Code of Conduct to replace the previous "Code of Conflict" documentation. Though the Code of Conduct is still being revised.
For more details on these changes and the many other additions to find in this next kernel stable version, see our complete Linux 4.19 feature overview.
With the Linux 4.19.0 stable debut this coming weekend should also mark the return of Linus Torvalds to herding the kernel's development.
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