What’s New in Linux 6.2? Features, Apple M1 Support, and Linus Torvalds’ Merge Advice

Linux kernel version 6.2 has been released, bringing a significant milestone: the kernel can now run on Apple M1 hardware, opening a new platform for Linux adoption.

Key New Features in Linux 6.2

Early NVIDIA RTX 30/Ampere GPU support in Nouveau

Updated Zstandard (Zstd) compression code

Performance enhancements for Btrfs

New mount options for the SquashFS file system

Foundations for Wi‑Fi 7 and 800 Gbps networking

Faster file and directory creation in the exFAT driver

RISC‑V support for persistent memory devices

Stabilized Intel IFS driver

Power‑saving improvements for Intel Alder Lake N / Raptor Lake P

USB 4 wake‑up and disconnect support

Support for ChromeOS Human Presence Sensor (HPS)

Raspberry Pi 4K @ 60 Hz display support

With the 6.2 release, development has already moved on to the 6.3 cycle. Linus Torvalds publicly rebuked a merge that lacked a clear commit message, emphasizing that every merge must be well‑documented.

Linus Torvalds’ Guidance on Merge Documentation

The discussion originated from a mailing‑list thread (https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAHk-=wgw++ccN-Pd1npZsBSDD3z6EGUSKsWuAEh5YC‑Tm…):

I've said this before, and apparently I need to say this again: if you
cannot be bothered to explain *WHY* a merge exists, then that merge is
buggy garbage by definition.

Okay, understood. This was a merge of the fixes for v6.2. I’ll explain that more clearly in the log from now. :)

So I really want people to document their merges, not just so that I (and others) can see "oh, that's why it exists at all", but also because I want to make people think about their merges more generally.

... (excerpt continues) ...

Now, in your case, I don't actually think you needed that merge for any "future new work" at all. I think you just randomly did a merge to just get the same warning fixes that you had already sent me. So in this case, it smells like the merge was just entirely superfluous.

Those kinds of superfluous merges can be ok – it's just annoying to have a development branch that still shows some artifact that you already fixed elsewhere.

But they still need the explanation. And for that case, I want the explanation partly to make it clear that you really *thought* about it, and partly just so that I can see why you did it.

— Linus

Torvalds’ message underscores a best‑practice: every merge should include a concise explanation of its purpose, dependencies, and why it is necessary, helping maintain a clear project history.

Overall, Linux 6.2 delivers broad hardware and filesystem improvements, while the ensuing 6.3 development cycle reinforces disciplined commit hygiene as advocated by Linus Torvalds.