Mainline Linux

Mainline Linux refers to the Git repository of Linus Torvalds that contains the Linux kernel.^[1] This is in contrast to Linux kernel forks that are maintained downstream by device vendors.

Mainlining refers to the effort of adding support for a device to the mainline kernel, while there was formerly only support in a fork or no support at all. This usually includes adding drivers or device tree files.

Greg Kroah-Hartman has applied the term "Linux-like" for vendors that add millions of lines of code to the mainline kernel.^[2]

References

^ Billimoria, Kaiwan N. (2021). Linux Kernel Programming A Comprehensive Guide to Kernel Internals, Writing Kernel Modules, and Kernel Synchronization. Birmingham: Packt Publishing, Limited. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-78995-592-7. OCLC 1240585605.
^ "What to do about CVE numbers [LWN.net]". lwn.net. Retrieved 2021-03-15.

External links

Mainlining FAQ by postmarketOS
Linux mainlining effort for Allwinner devices

[1] Billimoria, Kaiwan N. (2021). Linux Kernel Programming A Comprehensive Guide to Kernel Internals, Writing Kernel Modules, and Kernel Synchronization. Birmingham: Packt Publishing, Limited. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-78995-592-7. OCLC 1240585605.

[2] "What to do about CVE numbers [LWN.net]". lwn.net. Retrieved 2021-03-15.

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