Linux 7.3-rc2 released: Tools fixes account for approximately 20% of non-driver patches, potentially lengthening the development cycle

Version 7.3-rc2 of Linux has been released, and the source code is available on kernel.org. This version mainly features changes in driver code, with non-driver patches accounting for approximately 20% of the improvements. The updates include optimizations for AMD DRM and Nouveau graphics drivers, as well as fixes related to TCP, IPv6, and BPF in the network subsystem. In terms of file systems, adjustments were made to NTFS and XFS, and memory security issues in ksmbd SMB were resolved. As of the rc1 stage, the total number of lines of code reached 40.98 million (the actual number of lines is approximately 30.93 million). Linus Torvalds believes that although the content of this version is rich, the number of patches is higher than usual. Although no systematic architectural problems were found, it is possible that the extended development cycle due to frequent patch updates may have affected the results.