Linux Kernel 5.8 RC1 Released with Major Updates and New Hardware Support

Linux Kernel 5.8 RC1 has been released. Although the number of commits is slightly lower than the peak 4.9‑rc1 version, the changes in 5.8 are broader, covering extensive core kernel modifications, code clean‑ups, filesystem updates, generic driver updates, and documentation and architecture revisions.

Linus Torvalds added in the announcement that about 20 % of the files in the kernel source tree were modified during the 5.8 merge window—a considerable proportion, even though part of the work was generated by scripts. Numerically, 5.8‑rc1 contains more than 14 000 unmerged commits (over 15 000 when counting merges), roughly 800 000 new lines of code, and changes to more than 14 000 files.

The upcoming Linux Kernel 5.8 will improve support for many processors, add support for a large amount of new hardware, enhance security, and continue improving the open‑source Intel/Radeon graphics drivers. The stable version is expected in mid‑August.

Key updates include:

Improvements to AMD Radeon graphics drivers

SELinux optimizations

Power‑management feature updates

Support for swapping Fn and Ctrl keys on Apple keyboards

Support for Intel Tiger Lake Thunderbolt

Support for Habana Labs Gaudi accelerators

Partial improvements to Btrfs

Code clean‑up and bug fixes for EXT4 and exFAT filesystems

Initial support for booting on POWER10 processors

Although the changes in 5.8 are substantial, Linus has recently upgraded his productivity tools, which should help accelerate the build of this “large” kernel.