Linux kernel 6.14 is a big leap forward in performance and Windows compatibility

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

NTSYNC vs ESYNC/FSYNC and Performance Claims

  • Several commenters warn against “hyping” NTSYNC: benchmarks showing big gains are mostly vs older WINESYNC, not vs FSYNC, which Proton already uses by default.
  • Consensus in parts of the thread: NTSYNC is roughly comparable to ESYNC/FSYNC in performance, not a dramatic speedup.
  • The real excitement is about correctness and upstreamability: NTSYNC closely matches Windows NT sync semantics, making it acceptable to upstream Wine, unlike FSYNC.

Linux Gaming and Windows Compatibility

  • Many see NTSYNC as valuable because it improves Windows game compatibility on Linux, especially via Proton and Steam Deck.
  • Users report that in recent years most games “just work” under Linux, with anti-cheat now the main barrier.
  • Some argue that Windows compatibility (games, hardware support, familiar UX) is still the key blocker for wider desktop adoption, so features like NTSYNC matter.

Microsoft Influence and BSD Concerns

  • One line of discussion fears “emulating Windows primitives” and sees this as Microsoft encroachment on Linux; others push back, noting NTSYNC was driven by Valve/Proton, not Microsoft.
  • Counterpoint: Linux has always had heavy corporate involvement; BSDs also depend on and are used by large corporations.
  • A steelmanned concern is that Windows-compat features might distort Linux’s technical roadmap, but participants note native Linux gaming is already a low priority for most game vendors.

Kernel Process and How NTSYNC Lands

  • NTSYNC is implemented as an optional module/character device using ioctls, not as a core syscall or primitive, which reduces risk and makes it ignorable/blacklistable.
  • This modularity may have made review and acceptance easier.

Reactions to Linus’s Release Note and Communication Style

  • His self-deprecating explanation for the one-day delay sparks a long debate about his tone on mailing lists.
  • Some view his recent emails as firm but acceptable professional criticism; others still see unnecessary personal jabs and “toxic” patterns.
  • Several note he has improved compared to a decade ago, but disagree on whether his current style is an appropriate standard for technical leadership.

Media Framing and Other 6.14 Topics

  • Commenters mock errors like “Linux Torvalds” and see the article’s “big leap” language as overblown given the calm upstream release note.
  • Other 6.14 items mentioned: AMD GPU updates, more Rust code in the kernel, Snapdragon 8 support, Intel N100/N150 GPU support questions, and concern that bcachefs and GPIO issues weren’t covered (status unclear from the thread).