Next Linux kernel is out

OPEN SOURCE CENTRE PIECE the Linux kernel has just been updated to its next version.

Linux 2.6.34 has been only two-and-a-half months in the making. It includes support for the power saving mechanisms of AMD graphics chips, network code optimisations for multi-core processors and features for defragmenting memory. It also has an improved support of the power management and turbo features.

For a while Linux users had not been able to access the power management features of ATI Radeon graphics chips or use the Intel Ironlake driver's H.264 decoding feature, but that support is in this latest kernel.

Apparently now the Btrfs file system can handle direct I/O and no longer crashes when storage usage approaches full capacity. Search outfit Google has also contributed some code that can give users higher network throughput and lower latency on multi-core systems.

Other additions to the kernel include code optimisation measures for power management functions. There is also full support for the Turbo Core feature of AMD's recent six-core CPUs.

There are also more drivers than you can poke a stick at, extended USB 3.0 support and improved transmission rates for the ath_5k WiFi driver. µ