Version 4.7 of the Linux Kernel is out, adds native support for the AMD RX 480 and Xbox Elite Controller

Linus Torvalds has finally released version 4.7 of the Linux kernel. Most of the updates are minor, but notable is the inclusion of native support for the AMD RX 480 GPU and a brand new security system. In a blog post, Torvalds writes, “So, after a slight delay due to my travels, I’m back, and 4.7 is out. Despite it being two weeks since rc7, the final patch wasn’t all that big, and much of it is trivial one- and few-liners. There’s a couple of network drivers that got a bit more loving. Appended is the shortlog since rc7 for people who care: it’s fairly spread out, with networking and some intel  Kabylake GPU fixes being the most noticeable ones. But there’s random small noise spread all over.” The support for the AMD RX 480 has been baked into the AMDGPU driver itself. The new security system is called LoadPin and is designed to ensure that all modules, firmware, etc. loaded by the kernel originate from within the same file-system. This should cut down on any unauthorised tampering with the Linux kernel. This security feature has been a part of ChromeOS for a while now. Other features include native support for the Xbox One Elite controller, additional support for the ARM platform and other AMD-centric tweaks and improvements. To the average user however, this update brings nothing of great significance to the table. If you’re interested, more details can be found here and here.