Linux kernel version 3.9 adds better support for Chromebooks, maybe even yours
Linus Torvalds has pulled the big red lever marked Version 3.9, unleashing the latest Linux kernel onto the world and at the same time bringing some good news for Chromebook tinkerers. The update builds on the Chromebook Pixel tweak we saw back in February by adding support for components in "Chrome laptops sold by many companies" -- with the changelog specifically mentioning the x86-powered Samsung Series 5, Acer C7, HP Pavilion 14 as well as support for the Pixel's touchscreen, all of which should make it easier to run your preferred distro in place of Chrome OS on those machines. Other general improvements include better support for Intel power-saving features, the ability to use an SSD as a hard drive cache as well as KVM visualization for users with ARM-powered gear. Just make sure there's no NVIDIA hardware inside any of those boxes -- you know it makes Linus cranky.
