No longer in doubt about what the next LTS version of the Linux kernel would be, it is 5.15, you already have to think about the future. The next version will not have such a smooth development, as more requests were delivered in the merge window, and a few hours ago Linus Torvalds launched un Linux 5.16-rc1 with which he expected more problems than he has had in the end, at least for the moment.
Part of the problems have had to do with time, or more specifically with where and when the Finnish developer would get the job. As almost always, he was traveling and working on a laptop early in the merger period, which is often annoying and not the best of times. Still, everything has gone quite well, partly thanks to the people who submitted their requests ahead of time.
Linux 5.16-rc1 will include many new features
“The truth is that I anticipated more problems during the fusion period than occurred: I was traveling with a laptop for a few days at the beginning of the fusion period, and that is usually quite painful. But, knock on wood, everything worked out. Partly thanks to the fact that many people sent their requests well in advance, so that I could have a little advantage before the trips.
Linux 5.16-rc1 is the first Release Candidate of a kernel version in which many new features are expected. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why the main maintainer of the kernel labeled 5.15 as LTS, because it was the last option to have a Long Term Support kernel in 2021 and because it is a well-packed version without major changes that could translate into trouble. Linux 5.16 will arrive in the form of a stable version in mid-late January 2021 and, as always, Ubuntu users who want to use it at release time will have to install it on their own.