Real-time computing has long been a goal of the open-source community, and after 20 years of development and testing, real-time Linux has finally made its way into the official kernel. This milestone is a significant achievement for the Linux community, as real-time capabilities were previously only available through separate patches and third-party kernels.

Real-time Linux is designed to provide deterministic response times for critical applications, such as industrial automation, robotics, and multimedia processing. By reducing latency and ensuring timely execution of tasks, real-time Linux can help improve the performance and reliability of these systems.

The development of real-time Linux began in the late 1990s, with the introduction of the PREEMPT_RT patch set. This patch set, maintained by a group of developers led by Thomas Gleixner, aimed to introduce real-time capabilities into the Linux kernel while maintaining compatibility with the mainline codebase.

Over the years, the PREEMPT_RT patch set has gone through numerous iterations and refinements, with the ultimate goal of merging real-time functionality into the mainline kernel. This process was not without challenges, as integrating real-time features into the existing Linux codebase required careful coordination and extensive testing.

After two decades of development and collaboration, the real-time patch set has finally been merged into the Linux kernel, starting with version 5.10. This means that real-time capabilities are now available to all Linux users, without the need for separate patches or custom kernels.

The inclusion of real-time support in the mainline kernel is a significant milestone for the open-source community, as it demonstrates the commitment to providing a robust and feature-rich operating system for a wide range of applications. With real-time Linux now part of the official kernel, developers can take advantage of its capabilities to build high-performance, real-time systems without the complexity and maintenance burden of separate patches.

In conclusion, the integration of real-time support into the Linux kernel after 20 years of development is a testament to the dedication and expertise of the open-source community. With real-time Linux now a standard feature of the mainline kernel, the possibilities for building real-time systems on Linux are greater than ever before. This achievement is a testament to the power of open collaboration and the benefits of a vibrant and innovative software ecosystem.