Linux Kernel 3.9.x and GCC 4.8.1 Goes to Slackware-Current

Patrick has decided to leave Linux Kernel 3.8.x branch and include Linux Kernel 3.9.x branch for the next Slackware release. Both of them are not LTS, but being LTS doesn't mean that it's really that stable as expected (take an example from the previous experience of upgrading the kernel in Slackware 14.0 from 3.2.29 to 3.2.45 branch which caused some regressions for Intel Graphics).

GCC is now being upgraded to the latest version, 4.8.1 and this brings quite a lot of improvements when compiling applications, including it's now C++ 11 feature complete as of 4.8.1 release.

Several other applications and libraries were upgraded and rebuilt due to changes happening on -Current:

• glibc is rebuilt against new gcc
• gzip is upgraded to 1.6
• gphoto is upgraded to 2.5.2
• hplip is rebuilt against libgphoto2-2.5.2
• ksh93 is upgraded to 2012_08_01
• kamera is rebuilt against libgphoto2-2.5.2
• kde-runtime is rebuilt to include new cmake parameter
• gvfs is rebuilt against libgphoto2-2.5.2
• libxml2 is upgraded to 2.9.1
• libxslt is upgraded to 1.1.28
• pil is rebuilt against libgphoto2-2.5.2
• php is upgraded to 5.4.16
• tclx is rebuilt
• mesa is rebuilt with some new added parameter to enable acceleration in VMWare
• xdg- utils is rebuilt to properly support MATE Desktop
• sane is recompiled against libgphoto2-2.5.2