14 DAY TRIAL // Linux kernel 3.18 RC3 has been announced by Linus Torvalds and is one of the least interesting releases in the series. It's full of driver updates and smaller fixes, but it takes us a step closer to the final version in this new branch.
All has been quiet on Linux kernel front and it looks like we’re heading towards an uneventful and quick launch of a new branch. If everything goes according to plan, we might get a new kernel version before the holidays kick in. It will take a while for the distros to sync up, but many users will be able to start the new year with a fresh kernel.
Even if it's not an interesting release, it doesn't mean that the entire 3.18 branch won't provide a good opportunity to upgrade. If you're running a system that doesn't recommend kernel updates, you'll have to wait until that OS adopts it. This is still a dev release and it's not recommended for daily use or for production machines, but that shouldn't prevent users from testing it nonetheless.
Linux kernel 3.18 RC3 is here and is ready for testing
Like all Release Candidates, the 3.18 RC3 version is packed with small updates and various improvements. Developers usually propose new features and major changes in the merge window, which is usually open for about two weeks before the first RC1, so it's easy to understand why RC3 is not all that exciting.
"Another week, another rc, and things aren't really shrinking the way I would hope for... While the patch itself is much smaller than rc2 was (no new filesystem this rc!), there are actually more commits and more files affected. It's all over, too."
"That said, I don't think there is anything particularly horrible in here. Lots and lots of small stuff, with drivers accounting for the bulk of it (both in commits and in lines), but networking and core kernel showing up too. Nothing particularly stands out," says Linus Torvalds.
Users are waiting for Linux kernel 3.18, but the most important news has yet to surface. A while back, Linus Torvalds said that he planned a version 4.0 of the kernel, most likely after 3.19. It's still a long way to go, but if that is the case, then this new version just brings us close to that goal.
You can download Linux Kernel 3.18 RC3 from Softpedia and compile it yourself, but you need to know what you're doing, otherwise you might ruin your desktop.