Linux 7.3-rc5 Released With Unusual Diffstat: Selftests Nearly a Quarter of Changes
Linus Torvalds released Linux 7.3-rc5 on September 27, 2026, with an unusual diffstat where drivers account for less than a third of changes and selftests make up roughly a quarter.
Linus Torvalds released Linux 7.3-rc5 on September 27, 2026, with the unusual note that drivers account for less than a third of the changes and selftests for roughly a quarter — a pattern that reflects the release’s heavy focus on testing infrastructure. The Phoronix report on the announcement quotes Torvalds calling it “another week, another large RC,” and the largest single patch is an arm64 KVM ITS table test.
The proportion of drivers — normally the dominant category in any kernel release — shrinking to under a third suggests that most driver subsystems have settled, leaving maintainers to pile into test coverage ahead of the final 7.3 stable. The release also includes Cache Aware Scheduling fixes, HID device updates, and graphics driver fixes, along with extensive selftest additions.
That distribution is a good sign: late-release-candidate kernels that lean heavily on selftests are usually ones where no large regression has forced a fire drill. The Linux kernel development process has long treated release candidates as hardening phases, and 7.3-rc5’s diffstat suggests that hardening is proceeding on schedule.
The Cache Aware Scheduling fixes are particularly relevant for modern heterogeneous architectures where CPU clusters share different cache levels. While Torvalds did not elaborate on the specifics, their inclusion in a release candidate points to ongoing refinements rather than a new feature. Similarly, the HID device support updates and graphics driver fixes are typical late-cycle touches that address regressions reported during earlier RCs.
If the next few RCs continue this pattern — with drivers stable and selftests dominating — the final 7.3 stable could arrive without the last-minute surprises that have stretched some previous release cycles. For now, the development community is looking at a kernel that is, by all indications, in solid shape.