Linux Kernel 6.12 Confirmed As LTS, Will Be Supported For 'Multiple Years'

Slashdot reader prisoninmate shared this report from the blog 9to5Linux Renowned Linux kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman announced Thursday that the Linux 6.12 kernel series has been officially marked as LTS (Long Term Support) on the kernel.org website with a predicted life expectancy of at least two years.

Linux kernel 6.12 was released on November 17th, 2024, and introduces new features like real-time "PREEMPT_RT" support, a new scheduler called sched_ext, and DRM panic messages as QR codes, as well as numerous new and updated drivers for better hardware support...

Linux kernel 6.12 joins the many other long-term support kernel branches, namely Linux 6.6 LTS, Linux 6.1 LTS, Linux 5.15 LTS, Linux 5.10 LTS, and Linux 5.4 LTS. Apart from the latter, the rest of them, including Linux kernel 6.12, will be officially supported until the end of December 2026. Hopefully, Linux kernel 6.12 will be supported for more than two years as the kernel maintainers usually aim for four years of support for a new LTS kernel, especially if there's demand from hardware manufacturers and other companies that aim to use a long-term supported kernel in their devices.

Strange

[lskovlund]

It is strange how the Linux versioning scheme means that the last minor version is not necessarily LTS. It should be. Instead you have 5.15 being LTS even though the latest 5.x version was 5.19. And Linus justifies this with an arbitrary "I'm running out of fingers and toes" BS.

Re:

[OrangAsm]

I know it's strange, but my scheme of eternal version 6.6.6, with additional .42 and .69's tacked on for each patch level - never caught on for LTS.

Re: Strange

[Gavino]

I'd vote for the "blaze it, nice!" numbering scheme.

Re:

[BadgerStork]

You should always use the latest kernel. The LTS versions are full of unpatched bugs that may not have been investigated

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

You should always use the latest kernel. The LTS versions are full of unpatched bugs that may not have been investigated

It’s ironic what you’re asking. You do understand the point of LTS releases, yes? Unpatched bugs are often a risk unknown to even adversaries. But when you inadvertently brick your box with the “latest” update you justified because “latest”, everyone tends to know. And then the real investigation starts.

Re: Strange

[williamyf]

The precise point of LTSs is that security patches from newer kernels are backported to the LTS during the support life (~2 years) of the LTS kernel.

so, no unpatched security holes.

perhaps you are thinkingof SLTS kernels maintained by the CIP, but even that has "most" of the security holes patches.

sooooo

Re:

[BadgerStork]

No. Only confirmed security patches are backported (mostly). All the other bug fixes that just happen day to day are not backported.

Security theatre at its best!

Re:

[bill_mcgonigle]

80% of people care more about security form checkboxes for work than security.

You should hear the FIPS people- bless their hearts.

Re:

[gweihir]

Indeed. The very point is stability and security. That very much means _not_ patching non-critical functionality issues.

Re:

[gweihir]

Those with no understanding criticise minor and irrelevant things. As you just did.

A 5 second look at kernel.org shows this is a non-issue.

sad state of LTS kernels

[williamyf]

Is sad that the LTS kernel maintainers and thecomunities of:
- Android
- Main Enterprise distros
- the CIP

do not coordinate so that LTS are the kernels used by the 3 groups.

I do not know who is at fault (and even if it is the fault of any group at all), but theworld would be a much better place if the 4 grups fully aligned

LTS ??

[jmccue]

2 years is not LTS as far as I am concerned. By the time a corporation fully moved to the new LTS, 2 years have gone by. We really need a 10 year LTS kernel.

I complain about Red Hat almost every other day like the next person, but at least the do 1 thing 100% right. Support their builds for 10 years.

It is to bad the Linux Foundation does not provide support for a real LTS kernel. But I guess that are too busy raking in the dough for doing AI and bonuses instead of providing one thing that would really help out the community.

Linux Foundation

[Chromium_One]

This has been beat to death, and still bears repeating. Look at who the board members of the Linux Foundation are. Then realize the Linux Foundation represents the money men, and anyone else who receives representation there is incidental to their purpose.

Wither Community LTS

[turb]

There have been a number of presentations over the years where various folks (including Greg) have advocated that people and companies should commit to aggressively tracking and moving forward to get the latest fixes and security updates.

The LTS story on kernel.org reflects that. Gone is the 6 year LTS. 6.12 is just 2 years of support. There is a long list of kernels going end of life in Dec of 2026. Companies are not at that point in time where they have to face that face that the time it takes to develop