On August 31, Linus Torvalds announced the fourth release candidate of Linux 6.17 via the Linux kernel mailing list. According to the developer, the commit numbers and diffstat are entirely in line with expectations. The cycle has also proceeded without surprises so far.
Nevertheless, there are a few notable changes, according to Neowin, including a correction for the Intel idpf network driver and improvements in the handling of system registers within arm64 KVM.
Torvalds (photo) emphasizes that most of the code changes are minor, often no more than a few lines. The log files contain updates for HID drivers, GPU and DRM components, network functionality, and various file systems. An earlier change in virtio was also reversed. Nothing will change for users yet; the code is available on kernel.org and at this stage is mainly aimed at developers who actively contribute to testing.
In addition to the regular fixes, there are some broader developments visible. Bcachefs is now marked as externally maintained, which means that new functionality will no longer be added in-tree. Furthermore, a bug in the TSC logic on older Intel Pentium 4 Prescott processors has been fixed. New hardware is also supported, such as the Logitech G PRO 2 LIGHTSPEED mouse, the Wacom Art Pen 2, the ELECON M-DT2DR8K, and the Lenovo Legion Go.
Final release coming soon
The schedule for Linux 6.17 therefore remains largely on track. Torvalds indicates that the success of the release depends on extensive test results from the community. When developers identify problems early on, the kernel can stabilize more quickly and delays in the further process are less likely.
The final release is expected to be available in late September or early October, although the development cycle remains unpredictable. In our previous post about Linux 6.16, we already pointed out the possibility that vacation periods and personal schedules could throw a wrench in the works, but for now, the new version appears to be on track and without any major obstacles.