Linux 6.11: A new level of performance and challenges for Rust

On September 15, 2024, Linus Torvalds introduced the first stable release of the Linux 6.11 kernel, which is available for download at kernel.org. This version of the kernel comes two months after the release of Linux 6.10 and contains significant updates, bug fixes, and new features. 

Among the key changes:

• Support for new io_uring operations
• Writing block drivers in Rust
• Atomic write operations
• Improvements for AMD processors
• Preparation for Intel platforms

Support for RDNA4 graphics and AMD P-State driver features was also added, and a simpler Pacman package builder was added for Arch Linux. An important new feature was the ability to display a QR code when the kernel crashes.

Linux 6.11 also introduced a minimal version of Rust to support that language's infrastructure, due to the continued introduction of Rust into the kernel project. However, the development of Rust for Linux has faced challenges. 

In early September 2024, Wedson Almeida Filho, the leader of the Rust for Linux project, announced his departure due to a disagreement with C developers, putting the future of this direction in question. The conflict is due to a difference in approach between experienced developers who have been working with C for over 30 years and a new team looking to integrate Rust.

The next version of the Linux 6.12 kernel is expected to be released in November 2024 and will have long-term support (LTS).