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Linux 6.12 was released on November 17 as the last kernel of 2024. As expected, Greg Kroah-Hartman chose it as the next LTS kernel in early December. Linux 6.12 comes with 13,344 changes to the mainline kernel. A total of 2,074 developers contributed to its success, with 335 of them making their first contributions to the kernel – a new record. Although the commit numbers indicate that this is pretty much an average kernel, Linux 6.12 comes packed with new and interesting functions and useful extensions.

Kernel Buzz 2024

In 2024, kernel development was not without a few upsets, including disputes and government interference. A dispute occurred between Linus Torvalds and Kent Overstreet, the developer of the next-gen bcachefs filesystem. Bcachefs moved into the mainline kernel in Linux 6.7, but it could soon lose this status. The dispute concerned doubts about Overstreet's ability to work in a team and the way in which he submits his commits. Overstreet justified his approach in a lengthy article in which he also questioned established kernel development procedures [1]. The members of the kernel's Code of Conduct Committee imposed a ban on Overstreet due to misconduct for kernel 6.13, although Overstreet single-handedly contributed five percent in Linux 6.12.

Torvalds and the kernel community were criticized for removing about a dozen Russian programmers from the official list of kernel developers. However, Torvalds had little leeway in taking this step due to Executive Order 14071 issued by then US President Joe Biden in 2022 [2]. The Russian developers (or their employers) officially excluded were probably on the Specially Designated National (SDN) list of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The OFAC regularly publishes a list of foreign individuals and companies that have violated US sanctions against Russia, Syria, or Iran, among other things. The development of the Linux kernel cannot escape global politics, but you might well criticize Torvald's communication in this matter [3], which was initially very brief.

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