Linux kernel drops ISDN subsystem and old network drivers

Linus Torvalds merged a pull request into the Linux kernel on Thursday, removing the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) subsystem and various other outdated network drivers. The pull request noted that old code, including amateur radio and NFC support, has burdened core networking developers for years. Phoronix first reported the changes.

Linus Torvalds, the Linux kernel maintainer, integrated a pull request on Thursday that eliminates the ISDN subsystem from the kernel codebase. This subsystem, part of early digital telephony technology, along with other legacy components, is now deprecated and removed to streamline development efforts. The pull request explicitly states, 'Old code like amateur radio and NFC have long been a burden to core networking developers.'

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Linus Torvalds in a tech office, monitors displaying Linux kernel 7.0 announcement with code, Tux penguin, and hardware icons.
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Linus Torvalds signals Linux kernel 7.0 release is imminent

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Linus Torvalds has announced that the Linux kernel will jump to version 7.0 after the 6.x series concludes, marking a cosmetic but symbolic milestone for the open-source project. The decision follows established versioning practices to keep minor numbers manageable, with no major technical overhaul tied to the change. Ongoing developments include expanded Rust integration and hardware support enhancements.

Linux kernel version 7.1 will drop support for the Intel 80486 processor, making it impossible to build a kernel compatible with the 1989 chip. Maintainers, including Ingo Molnar, argue that the compatibility code burdens modern development. The change affects a few compatible chips from other vendors but has negligible practical impact.

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Developers have released Linux kernel 7.0, featuring improvements for Intel and AMD hardware, enhanced storage handling, and the removal of the experimental label from Rust support. Linus Torvalds announced the update, which is not a long-term support version. The release includes preparations for upcoming CPUs and GPUs, alongside self-healing filesystem capabilities.

The Linux kernel version 7.0 has dropped support for the EDAC driver associated with the 28-year-old Intel 440BX chipset. This change signifies another step in phasing out the once-legendary motherboard chipset. Despite the removal, the chipset's legacy persists in various systems.

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Linus Torvalds announced the stable release of Linux kernel 6.19 on February 9, 2026, following an eight-week development cycle with a one-week delay. Marking the end of the 6.x series—like 3.x to 4.0 and 5.x to 6.0—this non-LTS version (6.18 LTS until December 2027) brings extensive enhancements for Intel/AMD/Arm hardware, older GPUs, file systems, peripherals, HDR graphics, networking, virtualization, and cloud environments. Torvalds timed it with a major U.S. sporting event, joking, "6.19 is out as expected -- just as the US prepares to come to a complete standstill later today, watching the latest batch of televised commercials," and noted the next kernel will be 7.0 as he's "running out of fingers and toes."

Following Linus Torvalds' recent announcement, Linux kernel 7.0 has been released on February 28, 2026, adding support for AMD Zen 6 processors and Intel Nova Lake alongside file system and graphics enhancements for improved efficiency.

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Developers have submitted drivers for the Verisilicon DC8200 and Coreboot framebuffer to the DRM-Next branch for inclusion in Linux kernel version 7.1. This update aims to enhance support for specific graphics hardware in the open-source operating system. The submission was reported by Phoronix, a site focused on Linux hardware and performance.

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