The patch brings more than just Dell fixes

Jul 2, 2015 17:37 GMT  ·  By

A patch has been submitted to the Linux kernel to fix a problem that was really bothering the users of Dell laptops, and that's the ability to use the airplane mode switch.

This might not seem like a big thing, but the truth is that a lot Dell users will be glad that the feature has been finally implemented. Imagine having to use your new Dell laptop in an airplane and not being able to do so because you're running Linux. Now a patch has been submitted, and it should become available once Linux kernel 4.2 is published.

"Fairly routine update for platform-drivers-x86. Mostly fixes and cleanups, with a significant refactoring of toshiba* drivers. Includes the addition of the dell-rbtn driver," wrote Darren Hart, a developer for Intel Open Source Technology Center.

Before getting too excited, you should know that the patch is intended for Linux kernel 4.2, which didn't even receive its first RC, so we're a good 7-8 weeks from a release of a new stable version, if nothing goes wrong. It's possible that the patch will be backported to some of the other supported kernels, but that remains to be seen.

The patch itself comes with other cool stuff, like some new features and fixes for Toshiba drivers, fan control for Asus laptops, and more.