Update (7th September, 2017): Linux kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman has confirmed on his blog that Linux kernel 4.14 will be the next LTS kernel branch, which will be supported with stable kernel patch backports for at least 2 years. You can find the announcement here. Also, don’t forget to read about the best features of Linux kernel 4.13, which is the latest kernel release.
Original story continues from here!
Last year in August, we told you that Linux 4.9 was going to be the next LTS kernel release. It arrived towards the November end and brought tons of new features and hardware support. That official announcement was first made by renowned Linux kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman.
Now, first spotted by Softpedia, Greg has once again announced on his Google+ page that the next LTS kernel branch will be Linux kernel 4.14.
In his post, Greg wrote: “As no one seemed to make 4.9 blow up too badly, let’s try this again! 4.14 == next LTS kernel.” He further wrote that Linux kernel 4.14 will be supported for at least 2 years.
For those who don’t know, LTS software stands for Long Term Support, which remains supported for years and has more life as compared to standard releases.
Which are existing Linux LTS releases?
| Version | Maintainer | Released | Projected EOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.9 | Greg Kroah-Hartman | 2016-12-11 | Jan, 2019 |
| 4.4 | Greg Kroah-Hartman | 2016-01-10 | Feb, 2018 |
| 4.1 | Sasha Levin | 2015-06-21 | Sep, 2017 |
| 3.16 | Ben Hutchings | 2014-08-03 | Apr, 2020 |
| 3.10 | Willy Tarreau | 2013-06-30 | Oct, 2017 |
| 3.4 | Li Zefan | 2012-05-20 | Apr, 2017 |
| 3.2 | Ben Hutchings | 2012-01-04 | May, 2018 |
When will next LTS kernel 4.14 arrive?
These days, Linux kernel developers are busy developing Linux kernel 4.12, whose fifth release candidate was shipped last Sunday.
If we consider the normal development speed of Linux kernel, 4.14’s development could start in September, and we would get our hands on the freshly baked next LTS release in November.
In other related news, Canonical has said that Ubuntu 17.10 Artful Aardvark, which is expected to ship on October 29, will come with Linux kernel 4.13. Makes sense.
Also, don’t forget to check out our helpful lists of Linux distros:
