After weeks of chaos, Linux kernel development is finally stabilizing. Linux founder Linus Torvalds confirmed on Sunday that the scale of the sixth release candidate (RC6) of Linux 7.1 has returned to normal, which means that the version released next week may become the last candidate version before the official release. The Linux kernel development community has experienced a turbulent period in the past few weeks. First, Torvalds complained that contributors used AI tools to report vulnerabilities without providing fixes, and then had to call on developers to stop submitting unnecessary fixes late in the development cycle.
Torvalds said in a statement this week that the size of the sixth release candidate, while smaller than RC5, is still not small, mainly due to the use of AI tools. However, since the update scale has become normal, the entire development cycle is expected to be completed at a regular pace. This update covers a large number of driver modifications, covering multiple areas such as GPU, network, USB, serial port, audio, and SCSI. It also includes core network functions, self-test updates, architecture fixes, file system fixes, and other scattered corrections.
In terms of specific hardware support, this candidate version improves support for ASUS ROG RAIKIRI II game controllers, GameSir Nova 2 Lite controllers and Lenovo Go devices. Also fixed is a major over-read issue in the Lenovo X12 tablet processor. With version 7.1 development back on track, the final candidate version is expected to be released next week, after which the stable version will be pushed to the public.
However, Torvalds recommended that users wait for their respective Linux distributions to push updates, because self-installation may cause system instability and the operation process will be more complicated. Arch and Fedora users will be the first group to receive updates.
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