It seems that the controversy surrounding the next version of the Linux kernel will not be reflected in its development. For those who do not know what controversy I mean, I am talking about a new security module called Lockdown. The debate is on whether or not it is good to add more security to the core that also means that users lose some control. For all the rest, Linux 5.4-rc4 it stays out of all this and is once again a quiet launch.
El this week's release is again smaller than average from other versions. As for the work done, everything is quite normal too, being half in drivers such as drm, input, block, md, gpio, etc, but the vast majority of this half of the work has been left by the network drivers. There have also been changes in the core of networks, something that is outside the drivers and that has taken over a third of the other half of the work.
Linux 5.4-rc4 is smaller than average
Torvalds says that everything is being normal and there is nothing to fear or any unusual surprises. But everything could change this week, since you have to go to the Open Source Summit Europe and could have to work against the clock. The father of Linux denies it, as long as everything remains as calm as before.
Linux 5.4 will be the next version of the Linux kernel that will arrive at the end of november or early December. As we have already mentioned, one of its most prominent features will be the Lockdown security module, but the Linux kernel development team has decided that the feature will be released disabled by default because enabling it could "break" existing systems. It will be the distributions that decide if and when to activate it.