The Linux kernel has officially stabilized its GPIB drivers, marking a significant milestone 53 years after Hewlett-Packard introduced the General Purpose Interface Bus. This development occurred with the release of Linux 6.19. The move ends a long period of staging for these drivers in the kernel.
The General Purpose Interface Bus, or GPIB, was introduced by Hewlett-Packard in 1970 as a standard for connecting and controlling electronic test equipment. For decades, Linux users relying on GPIB hardware faced challenges due to the drivers remaining in the kernel's staging area, which is meant for experimental code.
In Linux 6.19, developers have de-staged the GPIB drivers, integrating them into the mainline kernel as stable components. This change allows for broader adoption and reliability in industrial and scientific applications that use GPIB interfaces.
The stabilization comes exactly 53 years after HP's initial introduction of the bus, highlighting the evolution of open-source support for legacy hardware standards. Kernel maintainers emphasized the importance of this update for users in fields like instrumentation and automation, where GPIB remains relevant despite newer alternatives.
No specific quotes from developers were detailed in the announcement, but the Phoronix report underscores the technical achievement in bringing long-standing drivers to full maturity.