Linux Kernel Ups Graphics, Drops Android

Some new Linux kernel releases are chock full of major enhancements; others are more subtle releases with nuanced improvements. And then there’s releases that actually remove features.

The new Linux 2.6.33 kernel is a bit of all three, with a major new graphics enhancement courtesy of Nouveau, a slew of less-sexy improvements, and the dropping — for now — of Android code. LinuxPlanet has the story.

A new Linux kernel is out this week with changes that aim to benefit both end-users and Linux developers.

The Linux 2.6.33 kernel is the first new kernel release of 2010 and follows the 2.6.32 kernel release by nearly three months. Key to the new update are enhancements in graphics and storage capabilities.

“The most noticeable features in 2.6.33 are likely the Nouveau and DRBD integration (and a lot more people will notice the Nouveau part of that),” Linux founder Linus Torvalds wrote in a mailing list posting.

More people are likely to notice Nouveau is because it is a user-facing technology that is meant to improve Linux graphics. Nouveau is an open source graphics driver for Nvidia graphics cards that’s been built by open source developers — that is, Nvidia didn’t contribute the driver code, but rather, it was reverse engineered by the open source community.

Linux kernel developer and Novell staffer Greg Kroah-Hartman told InternetNews.com that the inclusion of Nouveau means that even more devices are now supported by the kernel.org releases.

Read the full story at LinuxPlanet:


Linux 2.6.33 Boosts Graphics, Dumps Android