Linus Torvalds has released the third release candidate of Linux 4.13. This new release is just another weekly test build that comes with a short changelog.
Codenamed “Fearless Coyote”, Linux 4.13 RC3 kernel brings a bunch of random important fixes. The third release candidate is probably the smallest update in the entire release cycle of Linux 4.13. Particularly, it is about half the size of the previous release candidate build.
Torvalds had to release the latest release candidate as contributors started sending the fixes early. In the list of changes, the RC3 improves the DRM synchronisation object support. The new DMA mapping subsystem is also added to Linux 4.13. Further, the support for statx in F2FS is added for enhanced file information using a new syscall.
Reason behind slack period
In the official announcement, Trovalds mentions about the slack period. He relates the slow release cycle with vacation plans of contributing developers.
While RC3 does not bring much to the table, you can still check the source and test it by compiling on your favorite distribution. The source tarball of the new build is available for download on the kernel.org website.
