Linux 3.2 Kernel May Be Of A Worrying Size

After going through ten release candidates, the Linux 3.1 kernel should be released by early next week. However, with the Linux 3.1 kernel release cycle having been dragged on by more RCs than normal and the Kernel.org hacking incident, the Linux 3.2 kernel may end up being abnormally large and its worrying Linus Torvalds.

In response to the discussion on the kernel mailing list surrounding whether the upcoming Kernel Summit in the Czech Republic would interfere with the Linux 3.2 kernel merge window that should be open at the same time, Linus says that it shouldn't be a problem. His normal schedule will just be interrupted for a period of four days and during his travel time he can be doing patch review. With the Linux kernel merge window being open for roughly two weeks per release cycle, Linus doesn't see the Praha Kernel Summit worrying him. However, what does worry him is the likely size of the linux 3.2 kernel.

What worries me more than the kernel summit is just that the 3.1 release cycle has dragged out longer than usual, so I'm a bit afraid that the 3.2 merge window will just be more chaotic than usual just because there might be more stuff there to be merged. But that's independent of any KS issues, and I also suspect that the added time for development has been largely nullified by the productivity lost due to the k.org mess.

linux-next is pretty large, but I don't track historical sizes all that well, so I can't say if it's noticeably larger than it usually is. Stephen may know, but he's on vacation right now.

For a portion of what you can expect to see in the Linux 3.2 kernel, see some of what's queued up for the DRM graphics drivers in this next kernel cycle, which includes the new Samsung ARM driver. Expect more news as soon as the 3.2 merge window opens and we'll see if it ends up carrying an abnormal number of changes.