Linux 6.6 Released With EEVDF, Shadow Stack & Performance Optimizations

As anticipated Linus Torvalds just released the Linux 6.6 kernel as stable.

Linux 6.6 introduces the EEVDF scheduler, finally lands Intel Shadow Stack support, adds to the Nouveau DRM driver the necessary user-space API additions for the Mesa NVK Vulkan driver, continues enabling upcoming Intel and AMD platforms, there's a boat load of other driver improvements, and also some nice performance optimizations. See the Linux 6.6 feature list for a more comprehensive overview of all the great changes in Linux 6.6.

Linux 6.6 is a great release and likely to be the next Long-Term Support (LTS) kernel with this to be the last stable series of 2023 with Linux 6.7 not expected to debut until early 2024.

Linus Torvalds wrote in tonight's 6.6 announcement:

"So this last week has been pretty calm, and I have absolutely no excuses to delay the v6.6 release any more, so here it is.

There's a random smattering of fixes all over, and apart from some bigger fixes to the r8152 driver, it's all fairly small."

Now onward to the exciting Linux 6.7 merge window.