Linux creator Linus Torvalds has expressed a keen interest in Apple’s in-house M series silicon chips, suggesting that his platform may offer greater capabilities on such arm64 machines.
The report, which he explains contains “nothing really interesting,” but rather “a lot of random small stuff,” was written on a silicon device:
“I did the release (and am writing this) on an arm64 laptop. It's something I've been waiting for for a _loong_ time, and it's finally reality.”
Apple + Linux
Torvalds explains that he has previously worked from Apple computers, however “none of [them have] really been usable as a development platform until now.”
His first Apple venture was on a PowerPC 970 machine, several years before he gave it another shot on a MacBook Air, which he claims was “the only real thin-and-lite around.” Of course, there is a huge selection of thin and light laptops to choose from in today’s climate, but Apple’s allure saw him give it another go.
This time around, and on an M-series Mac, Torvalds has been running test builds and boots, however it is the Linux creator’s hope that he will one day be able to travel with, and rely upon, one of these arm64 laptops.
Linux version 5.19
Beneath Torvalds’ praise of Apple silicon are some notes on the project’s latest version: 5.19. Phoronix (opens in new tab) has delved deeper into the full updates; a lighter overview compiled by The Register (opens in new tab) shows that some of the update’s headline features include:
- Support for Intel’s Trust Domain Extensions
- Support for AMD’s SEV-SNP
- Multiplatform support for Arm
- Improvements to ASUS motherboard monitoring
- Removal of Renesas's H8/300 CPU architecture support, which was previously removed before being reinstated
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