Kernel 7.0 makes Linux an even better choice for old laptops
Swap memory optimizations make it easier to put off upgrading the RAM.
Linux kernel 7.0 was announced as a full release over the weekend by Linus Torvalds and the rest of the kernel development team. The update brought many improvements, including a boost in the memory department.
What's new
- Self-healing XFS metadata: When metadata gets corrupted in an XFS system, a daemon can now automatically heal it.
- Note that this feature only repairs metadata. Corrupted block data is still a manual job.
- File I/O error reporting: Filesystems can now tell you about I/O errors through the
fsnotifysystem. In other words, you'll now consistently get reports of file errors that will be useful in troubleshooting.
What's getting better
- Swap memory: When processes are using swap memory, there are performance improvements of up to 20 percent thanks to an ongoing reworking of swap tables.
- Intel Xe temperature detection: More sensors on Xe graphics chips have been exposed, meaning you'll get more accurate temperature readings from your system.
What's going away
- Outdated power management: The
laptop_modeutility, which primarily benefited laptops whose operating systems were installed on HDDs, has been removed. Modern laptops have been using SSDs instead for a long time, so maintaining its support was no longer worth the effort.
Zooming out
Why this update matters: The memory optimizations come at a time when RAM prices remain at record highs. That means installing Linux on RAM-limited devices is a smarter move than ever.
- Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, releasing next week, is expected to ship with this Linux kernel.
My take: I have some very old laptops that can use all the memory optimizations they can get.
Diving in
The fineprint: I'm being far from comprehensive with my list of improvements. See OmgUbuntu's roundup for a description of major changes in a very readable format. LWN's explanation, part one and part two, will give you a comprehensive review, along with KernelNewbies.
Get it now: If you don't plan to install Ubuntu 26.04 LTS next week, you can alternatively compile the latest kernel from source, starting from Kernel.org. Otherwise, bleeding-edge rolling release distros should see the update any day now.
