Category Archives: Linux

LLVM Clang 22 Compiler Performance Largely Unchanged Over Clang 21 On AMD Zen 5

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With yesterday’s stable release of the LLVM Clang 22 compiler it didn’t take long for Phoronix readers to begin asking about the performance of this half-year feature update to this prominent open-source C/C++ compiler. What I am seeing so far are no big surprises with the performance largely being similar to Clang 21 across various open-source C/C++ workloads in the testing thus far. This initial round of reference benchmark results between LLVM Clang 22, Clang 21, and Clang 20 were done on an AMD EPYC Turin (Zen 5) Linux server.

[$] No hardware memory isolation for BPF programs

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On February 12, Yeoreum Yun posted a
suggestion
for an improvement to the security of the kernel’s BPF implementation: use

memory protection keys to prevent unauthorized access to memory by BPF
programs.
Yun wanted to put the topic on the list for discussion at the Linux
Storage, Filesystem, Memory Management, and BPF Summit in May, but the
lack of engagement makes that unlikely. They also have a patch set implementing
some of the proposed changes, but has not yet shared that with the mailing list.
Yun’s proposal does not seem likely to be accepted in its
current form, but the kernel has

added hardware-based hardening options in the
past, sometimes after substantial discussion.

[$] An effort to secure the Network Time Protocol

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The Network Time
Protocol (NTP) debuted in 1985; it is a universally used, open
specification that is deeply important for all sorts of activities we
take for granted. It also, despite a number of efforts, remains
stubbornly unsecured. Ruben Nijveld presented work at FOSDEM 2026 to
speed adoption of the thus-far largely ignored standard for securing
NTP traffic: IETF’s RFC-8915 that specifies Network Time
Security (NTS) for NTP.

MetaBrainz mourns the loss of Robert Kaye

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The MetaBrainz Foundation has announced the unexpected passing of
its founder and executive director, Robert Kaye:

Robert’s vision and leadership shaped MetaBrainz and left a lasting
mark on the music industry and open source movement. His contributions
were significant and his loss is deeply felt across our global
community.

The Board is actively overseeing a smooth leadership transition and
has measures in place to ensure that MetaBrainz continues to operate
without interruption. Further updates will be shared in due
course.

Arm & Linaro Launch New “CoreCollective” Consortium – With Backing From AMD & Others

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The embargo just lifted on an interesting new industry consortium… CoreCollective. The CoreCollective consortium is focused on open collaboration in the Arm software ecosystem and to a large extent what Linaro has already been doing for the past decade and a half. Interestingly though with CoreCollective for open collaboration in the Arm software ecosystem, AMD is now onboard as a founding member along with various other vendors…

‘Using PRIMM to teach programming’: A new short course for educators

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At the Raspberry Pi Foundation, we believe that learning to program equips young people with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in an increasingly digital world. For many educators, teaching programming effectively can be challenging, particularly when their learners are at different stages in their programming journey. Ask learners to write code too early, and they might struggle or feel intimidated. Rely too heavily on step-by-step instructions, and you limit learners’ chances to explore ideas or develop deeper understanding.

Using PRIMM to teach programming artwork

The PRIMM framework — Predict, Run, Investigate, Modify, Make — provides educators with a structure for teaching programming. This research-informed teaching approach balances support with independence and helps learners build their understanding before they write their own code, whatever their starting point.

To help educators use this approach confidently, we have launched a new short online course, Using PRIMM to teach programming, which is available on our new Training Hub platform for free.

What is the course about?

This practical, self-paced course gives educators the knowledge they need to use the PRIMM approach to design and adapt programming activities to suit their learners.

The course takes 1–2 hours to complete, and we have designed it for educators working in formal or non-formal learning environments around the world, using any block-based or text-based programming language. All you need is some experience of creating and adapting simple programs.

The course starts with considering the five stages of PRIMM, when and why to use each stage, and how they work together to support learning. It covers how PRIMM aligns with key teaching principles such as scaffolding, managing cognitive load, and progression, and examines how the approach supports formative assessment by making learners’ thinking — and any misunderstandings — more visible.

Active, social learning

Although pedagogy forms the core of this course, we have deliberately avoided a theory-heavy approach. Instead, the course is designed to help you learn through hands-on activities. By reflecting, taking part in discussions with other computing educators, and completing practical tasks, you will explore how PRIMM works in real teaching contexts.

A computer science teacher sits with students at computers in a classroom.

After an introduction to the core ideas of PRIMM, you will design a new programming activity, or adapt an existing one, using the PRIMM structure. This will support you to think carefully about what your learners know and can do, likely misconceptions, and how each stage of PRIMM can be used effectively, including when your learners have varied learning needs and levels of programming experience.

With its emphasis on activity design, the course will support you to develop resources you can use and keep adapting in your own setting. By the end, you will have a complete PRIMM activity designed specifically for your learners, and a clear sense of how to teach programming in a structured and supportive way.

Join the course on the Training Hub

Using PRIMM to teach programming is available on our new Training Hub, where we offer all our professional development courses for free. The Training Hub offers flexible, reflective learning experiences across a range of topics, helping you build your subject knowledge and bring research-informed teaching approaches into your day-to-day practice.

Whether you are an experienced computing teacher, a volunteer educator, or a parent looking to support their child’s learning, we invite you to join us there.

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