Linus Torvalds has merged the kernel code for the GeForce-compatible nouveau open source graphics driver as a staging driver into the Linux main development tree – from which kernel version 2.6.33 will emerge in around two and a half months.

Linus Torvalds announced the release of a stable Linux 2.6.32 kernel. Major additions include kernel-based mode setting (KMS) and 3D graphics support on select Radeon cards, plus new kernel shared memory (KSM) technology for KVM virtualization, power-saving and performance improvements, and a faster "Devtmpfs" boot technology.

With the end of the next kernel version's main development phase, the most important new features of Linux 2.6.33 have been determined: DRBD, Nouveau, support of the Trim ATA command and a bandwidth controller for block devices. The developers have also improved the Radeon drivers and the support of Intel Wi-Fi chips.

The forthcoming kernel version will support Intel's Moorestown platform, SFI - the alternative to ACPI, and the Trusted Execution Technology, which used to be called "LaGrande Technology". If required, the new KSM can now reduce memory loads by combining identical memory content in virtual machines.

"After 7 months and 1 week, Exclaim 0.2.0 is ready! This release contains many new features, such as full userspace application support, kernel module loading, ATA disk access, Ext2/RamFS filesystem support, and many more improvements..."

There has been relatively little noise out of the realtime preemption camp in recent months. That does not mean that the realtime developers have been idle, though; instead, they are preparing for the realtime endgame: the merger of the bulk of the remaining patches into the mainline kernel. The 2.6.31-rc4-rt1 tree recently announced by Thomas Gleixner shows the results of much of this work.

An enhanced Ext4 filesystem, an optimised TCP stack and support for thin provisioning in the Device Mapper are some of the most important new features of the freshly released Linux 3.2. The latest kernel version also brings with it a host of new and improved drivers which, among other things, address graphics hardware from Intel and NVIDIA and wireless devices from Atheros and Broadcom.

This version adds virtualization memory de-duplicacion, a rewrite of the writeback code which provides noticeable performance speedups, many important Btrfs improvements and speedups, ATI R600/R700 3D and KMS support and other graphic improvements, a CFQ low latency mode, tracing improvements including a "perf timechart" tool that tries to be a better bootchart, soft limits in the memory controller, support for the S+Core architecture, support for Intel Moorestown and its new firmware interface, run time power management support, and many other improvements and new drivers.

In Linus Torvalds' words, "Not a whole lot of changes since -rc7," but the more significant upgrades in kernel release 2.6.22, announced over the weekend, include a new wireless stack, a new FireWire stack, and a new SLAB allocator for more efficient memory management.