• ContentWeekly EditionArchivesSearchKernelSecurityEvents calendarUnread commentsLWN FAQWrite for us Weekly Edition Archives Search Kernel Security Events calendar Unread comments LWN FAQ Write for us EditionReturn to the Briefs page Return to the Briefs page An Asahi Linux progress report We’ve made incredible progress upstreaming patches over the past 12 months. • Our patch set has shrunk from 1232 patches with 6.13.8, to 858 as of 6.18.8. • Our total delta in terms of lines of code has also shrunk, from 95,000 lines to 83,000 lines for the same kernel versions. • Hmm, a 15% reduction in lines of code for a 30% reduction in patches seems a bit wrong…Not all patches are created equal. • Some of the upstreamed patches have been small fixes, others have been thousands of lines. • All of them, however, pale in comparison to the GPU driver.The GPU driver is 21,000 lines by itself, discounting the downstream Rust abstractions we are still carrying.

Article Summaries:

  • The Asahi Linux project released a detailed progress report on its effort to bring Linux support to Apple silicon. Over the past year, the number of upstream‑patched changes dropped from 1,232 (kernel 6.13.8) to 858 (6.18.8), and the total code delta fell from 95,000 to 83,000 lines-a 15 % reduction in code for a 30 % cut in patches. The report notes that many patches are small fixes, while larger ones have been merged. The GPU driver remains the largest component at 21,000 lines, nearly twice the size of the DCP driver and three times that of the ISP/webcam driver. Upstreaming work on the GPU driver has now begun.
  • The Asahi Linux project released a 6.19 progress report detailing its work to bring Linux support to Apple silicon. Over the past year the team has reduced its upstream patch set from 1,232 patches (kernel 6.13.8) to 858 patches (6.18.8), and the total code delta has fallen from 95,000 to 83,000 lines. The report notes that the GPU driver remains the largest component, at 21,000 lines, roughly twice the size of the DCP driver and three times the ISP/webcam driver. Upstreaming efforts for the GPU driver have now begun, marking a key milestone in the project’s development.

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