Untitled Linux Show 216: The Kernel Needs a Shave

Date: August 18, 2025
Host: Jonathan
Panelists: Jeff, Ken, Rob

Overview

This episode centers around the latest dramas and developments in the Linux kernel world, including Linus Torvalds’ fiery reaction to recent RISC-V kernel patches, succession plans for Linux kernel leadership, ecosystem updates on Sparky Linux and Kaizen Linux, GCC’s decision to drop certain CPU targets, major open source software updates (VirtualBox, FFmpeg, OnlyOffice), and new advances in kernel fuzz testing from Google. The crew also explores Nvidia’s latest Linux drivers, the advent of AI in open source utilities, and provides some hands-on command line tips. The tone is lively, sometimes irreverent, and the discussion ranges from deep technical insights to lighthearted banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Linux Kernel Merge Window Drama

• [02:51] Rob brings up the latest “drama” with the Linux kernel: a set of RISC-V patches for kernel 6.17 was rejected by Linus Torvalds, who was particularly harsh in his criticism.

  • Linus had explicitly requested early pull requests due to his travel schedule. The late submission was not the primary problem; instead, Linus called out the poor quality and inappropriateness of the code.

    "No, this is garbage, and it came in too late. ... If you can't follow that rule, at least make the pull request good." – Linus Torvalds, paraphrased by Rob ([04:01])

    "Things like this need to get bent. ... No more late pull requests, no more garbage outside the RISC V tree." – Linus, via Rob ([05:30])

  • Panelists debate whether Linus’ tone is helping or harming kernel development, with concern about deterring new contributors.

    "I hope we have a path forward for all these bad developers in the world to minimize this kind of drama in the future." – Rob ([08:21])

2. Kernel Leadership Succession

• [09:13] Jonathan addresses the oft-asked question: what happens to Linux if Torvalds steps down?

  • There is no formal plan, but it’s assumed Greg KH would step in, and that leadership typically emerges from the people actively doing the work.

    "Most open source projects are not actually meritocracies—they’re duocracies... the people that actually jump in and do stuff get to lead and make decisions." – Jonathan ([09:43])

3. Filesystems & Kernel Housekeeping

• [12:22] Ken points out the final removal of ReiserFS remnants from the kernel codebase ([12:22–13:13]).
• [10:39] (Briefly) Pending status of BcacheFS in the kernel—uncertainty whether it will make it in the next merge window.

4. Distro News: Sparky Linux & Raspberry Pi

• [13:35] Ken covers Sparky Linux 8.0 "Seven Sisters," among the first Debian 13-based distros, featuring up-to-date packages and multiple desktop environments. Existing users should follow the upgrade guide.
  • Conversation flows into anticipation for Raspberry Pi OS based on Debian 13 (not yet released but experimental versions are floating around).

5. GCC to Drop Obscure Architectures

• [18:45] Jeff discusses GCC’s intention to drop support for rarely used or unmaintained architectures (e.g., Ativa Epiphany, Renesas M32C, Renesas RL78, and notably Intel Itanium/IA-64).

  • Rationale: hardware obsolescence, lack of code updates, no maintainers, and a new policy to require a passing test suite at least once per year.

  • Removing IA-64 from GCC is symbolic; Linux already dropped kernel support, but some obscure OSes may still care.

    "The compiler was so hard to write, people couldn’t do it to fully optimize to the promise of the hardware." – Jeff on Itanium’s demise ([21:33])

    "If you're running the older version of gcc you are also limiting what language versions you can use..." – Jeff ([26:13])

6. Google’s New Kernel Fuzzing Improvements

• [29:08] Rob introduces KFUZZ TEST, Google’s new in-kernel fuzzing framework.

  • Designed for lightweight, in-situ fuzzing of internal kernel functions—particularly those hard to fuzz via syscalls.

  • Macro-based, supports binary input serialization, metadata for user-space tooling.

  • Intent is to help discover bugs and vulnerabilities more rapidly.

    "With this new automated fuzzy kernel tool, Linus won’t have to spend so much time testing kernel code and can spend more time criticizing the kernel developers." – Rob ([32:55])

    "A QA engineer walked into a bar..." – Jonathan’s programmer joke illustrates why fuzz testing matters ([36:21])

7. VirtualBox 7.2 & Enhanced ARM Support

• [37:27] Ken: VirtualBox 7.2 update brings early support for Linux 6.16/6.17 kernels, improved guest enhancements, ARM virtualization improvements, NVMe controller now open source, VMDK fix, and general bugfixes.

  "Is this cross running ARM inside of x86?" – Jonathan; "That's what it sounds like." – Ken ([39:35–39:37])

8. Nvidia 580 LTS Driver Update

• [43:15] Jeff provides details on Nvidia’s 580 beta (now with bugfixes), describing it as a stable base for a few years, but not cutting edge.

  • Notable: Now has FIFO v1 Wayland support, improved GPU clock reporting, RM interlocking mode (better VR support), protocol updates, bugfixes for black screens and Vulkan GTK4 crashes.

    "We've come a long way with Nvidia since we had to rapidly shake the mouse to get the screen to update." – Jonathan ([47:35])

    "That kept me off Wayland for quite a while..." – Jeff ([47:43])

9. AI Features Infiltrate Open Source

• [49:12] Rob highlights two new AI integrations:

  • FFmpeg 8.0 will have a Whisper model filter for automated speech recognition and transcription.

  • OnlyOffice’s new AI agent plugin can perform natural language commands, summarize data, auto-generate documents/slides/spreadsheet content using various backends; runs cloud or local.

  • Debate follows over usefulness and trust in AI (Whisper hailed as useful for transcripts; reservations about AI rewriting prose).

    "On Linux, OnlyOffice is adding AI tools ... in the base price of free." – Rob ([50:25])
    "Resistance is futile. I will be assimilated." – Jonathan, lightheartedly embracing AI features ([53:11])

10. Kaizen Linux Sunsets

• [59:04] Ken reports end-of-life for Kaizen Linux, a Debian-based live toolkit for IT pros and sysadmins. Version 3.0 is the last, moving to Debian 13 as its base and providing security updates for two years (though with a caveat on timeliness).

  "I would like to begin this blog post by announcing the end of the Kaizen Linux project with this latest release." – Ken, quoting release notes ([59:11])

11. Systemd Soft Reboot

• [65:20] Jeff introduces systemd’s "soft reboot": restarts userland (services/apps) without rebooting the kernel or hardware—much quicker, retains uptime.

  • Requires systemd v254+, in Debian 13 Trixie and up.

  • Ideal for userland changes, not suitable when kernel/drivers have been updated.

    "So what does it do? ... It reinitializes user space so the system starts fresh... but keeps the kernel running so no hardware or driver reload happens." – Jeff ([66:05])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Linus on Patch Quality:
  "No more late pull requests, no more garbage outside the RISC V tree. … Sending a big pull request the day before the merge window closes… is not a winning strategy." (Rob, quoting Linus, [05:30])
• The ‘Duocracy’ of Open Source:
  "Most open source projects are not actually meritocracies—they’re duocracies…" (Jonathan, [09:43])
• Nvidia’s Spotty Past:
  "We've come a long way with Nvidia since we had to rapidly shake the mouse to get the screen to update." (Jonathan, [47:35])
• On AI Permeating Everything:
  "Resistance is futile. I will be assimilated." (Jonathan, [53:11])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Kernel patch drama / Linus Rants: [02:51] – [08:25]
• Kernel leadership/succession plan: [08:55] – [10:34]
• Filesystems discussion (ReiserFS): [12:22] – [13:10]
• Sparky Linux / Downstream Debian News: [13:35] – [17:03]
• GCC dropping CPU architectures: [18:45] – [27:14]
• Google Kernel Fuzzing/KFUZZ: [29:08] – [35:38]
• VirtualBox 7.2 update: [37:27] – [39:35]
• Nvidia 580 driver: [43:15] – [48:04]
• AI features in FFmpeg/OnlyOffice: [49:12] – [57:39]
• Kaizen Linux’s Final Release: [59:04] – [64:12]
• Systemd soft reboot: [65:20] – [70:51]

Command Line Tips & Tutorials

1. systemd-manager-tui
   A TUI for managing systemd services (start/stop/enable/disable/view logs).

   • Try: systemd-manager-tui
   • Demo: [72:08] – [74:30]

2. Dissecting Curl/Bash Install Scripts
   Ken walks through how to safely inspect a curl | bash installer, redirecting output, and analyzing the script before running it.

   • Demo: [74:46] – [88:14]

3. timeout (coreutils)
   Run a command for a limited time period; automatically kills it if time exceeded.

   • E.g., timeout 30s bash -c '...'
   • [92:20] – [94:51]

4. Community Tip Query: Grep and LS Colors
   Jonathan asks the audience how to use grep in a pipeline and retain the original colorized ls output.

   • [94:51] – [97:43]

Quick, Fun Moments & Running Gags

• Programmer Jokes:
  "A QA engineer walks into a bar..." ([36:21])
• Fuzzy Segues:
  "Let's map out this week's amazing destinations..." (running joke making fun of segues)
• Coffees Owed:
  Running tally of which host owes coffee to whom.

Panel Plugs & End Notes

• Rob: Visit robertpcampbell.com to connect and possibly donate a coffee.
• Ken: Celebrates Debian's "2^5" (32nd) birthday ([100:26])
• Jonathan: Security weekly columns & FOSS podcasts at hackaday.com
• Club TWiT reminder for ad-free, bonus content.

Summary

This episode is a solid snapshot of the Linux/open source landscape in summer 2025, mixing breaking kernel news, hardware/software transitions, and the encroachment of AI into daily tools. The hosts offer seasoned, opinionated takes, fun technical tangents, and approachable command line tutorials—making it valuable whether you’re a daily Linux user or tech news follower.

Listen to All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio) to stay up-to-date on the world of Linux and open source, with friendly debate, practical advice, and a dash of drama.