Linux's 'big' 4.9 release adds support for Raspberry Pi Zero, LG Nexus 5 The Linux kernel has undergone what has been described as its "biggest release" ever, as part of a wide-reaching update. The release of the Linux 4.9 will bring a range of new features to operating systems based on Linux. Additions include support for the tiny $5 Raspberry Pi Zero machine and the LG Nexus 5, alongside 27 other ARM-based boards, and experimental support for older AMD graphics cards. These cards are based on AMD's Graphics Core Next 1.0 architecture, such as the Radeon HD 7000 Series. Other improvements include better stability and security thanks to support for Intel Memory Protection Keys and vmapped kernel stacks, improved support for P-State power-saving features on some Intel Atom processors and the ability to use virtual displays on AMD GPUs. One advantage is there is a lot more raspberry pi specific support in the newer upstream kernels which reduces the number of downstream raspberry pi patches and so reduces maintenance effort. The 4.9 kernel is planned to be an LTS kernel (long term support). Obviously a newer kernel will bring additional kernel features and support for more devices (e.g. USB devices like wifi and dvb). See http://ift.tt/2hvFzsN
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