For those who do not yet know this operating system, we can quote the following text:
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, a kernel operating system first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution. Source: Wikipedia.
Knowing a little about what the Linux kernel or Linux operating system is, we can enter the subject of the recent publication of its new version 5.14.
Thanks to the hard work of the developers in the Linux kernel, we have one of the most stable and secure monolithic operating systems that developers have been able to create so far around that help in its development or simply use it to create adaptations to specific user groups.
Linux Although the reader does not believe it, it is already implemented in many elements of our daily life from desktop computers to smartwatches, being this under a free license (GPLv2) allows anyone with programming knowledge to analyze the source code, improve it and create adaptations according to your needs.
What improvements does this new version bring?
Linux 5.14 brings a series of improvements, among the best known, support for new hardware elements and new security implementations.
But perhaps the most interesting and important improvement has to do with the implementation of “core scheduling”, a functionality that was already used by cloud service providers and that allows maintaining system security without the need to disable Hyper-Threading in processors. Intel, a recommendation that was made at the height of the Specter vulnerability scandal and has stood until now. In other words, if you had disabled Hyper-Threading for security reasons, now users and companies that implement Linux in their technological infrastructures will be able to have Hyper-Threading while using Linux versions equal to or greater than 5.14 with “core scheduling” enabled.
Now the question that arises is: What is Hyper-Threading?
Hyper-Threading is the implementation of Intel’s SMT technology for multithreaded processing, allowing processes to run in parallel within a single processor. As they explain, core scheduling makes it easy to manage the “resources that a CPU core can share and ensure that potentially unsafe tasks are not executed in a sibling thread of a trusted task. By ensuring that trusted / untrusted tasks do not share a core over HT / SMT, Hyper-Threading can be kept enabled ”.
If you want to know a little more about Hyper-Threading, you can visit the following link:
https://www.intel.la/content/www/xl/es/gaming/resources/hyper-threading.html
Other improvements
The most interesting thing in the most diverse sections, is the inclusion in it the support of processors and graphics, with AMD and Intel as obvious protagonists: support for Intel Alder Lake, for the AMD Yellow Carp and Beige Goby GPUs, different related improvements with AMD GPU driver. With regard to AMD, the arrival of support for AMD SmartShift stands out, a technology that allows improving performance in notebooks with compatible AMD CPUs and GPUs, dynamically balancing the energy use between both components according to the workload.
In summary, Linux 5.14 is one more version of the kernel full of new features that we will not go into, because not even scratching the surface is feasible. However, there are some other novelties that are worth noting, such as the introduction of Dell’s mechanism to improve privacy in their notebooks, the support for the BIOS settings of Lenovo ThinkPads.
Support for Raspberry Pi 400, improved USB4 support, Xbox One controller, better latency in the USB audio controller among many improvements that will allow not only raspberry users but also fans of video games jump for joy with performance improvements and other miscellaneous improvements now available in this version now available on the web:
Linux in space and its future in space exploration
It should be noted that Linux has been used for some time by government agencies and entities in charge of space exploration, in the launching of satellites and many other implementations that demonstrate that with Linux space technology infrastructures can be built and that they work with total stability.
With the release of the new versions of Linux with the infinity of improvements that they add thanks to the laborious work of its developers and the leader of the Linux project whose name is Linus Torvalds, new implementations in the area of space exploration are expected thanks to this. Of this excellent operating system and companies such as SpaceX, government institutions such as NASA or aircraft companies such as Boeing are integrating Linux implementations into their technology platforms.
Final note
Let’s say that this excellent operating system points to infinity and more has achieved what with effort and perseverance, a student in Finnish considered it a self-learning hobby managed to become a very renowned operating system stability used, either; For research, internet services, vehicles, televisions, smart cell phones among many other available applications, if you are a developer and want to support the development of this operating system, you can obtain the necessary information to know how to support the programming team by contacting the following URL:
https://www.kernel.org/category/contact-us.html
