The linux-lens kernel

Arch's kernel with the BORE scheduler and drivers for T2 Macs, and the fallback kernel next to it.

linux-lens is Arch Linux’s kernel (same sources, patches and configuration) with two additions:

the BORE scheduler (Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer). BORE keeps interactive programs responsive while something heavy, like a compile or a game shader build, runs in the background.
t2linux’s patches for Intel Macs with Apple’s T2 chip: keyboard, trackpad, Touch Bar, sound, fans, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and reading macOS’s APFS disks. On other computers these drivers stay idle.


version	7.2.9 (from Arch’s 7.2.9.arch1)
scheduler	BORE (`CONFIG_SCHED_BORE=y`), patch from CachyOS
T2 Macs	t2linux’s linux-t2-patches, pinned to a commit
timer	1000 Hz, full preemption (Arch’s own settings)
packages	`linux-lens`, `linux-lens-headers`

It’s the default kernel in new installs (the boot menu lists it first), and the live ISO boots it too.

Fallback

linux-lts stays installed as a second boot entry. If a kernel update ever misbehaves, pick the LTS entry in the boot menu.

Building it

LENSOS_BUILD_KERNEL=1 packages/build-repo.sh

The sources are verified against the signing keys of Linus Torvalds, Greg Kroah-Hartman and Arch’s kernel maintainer before building. A build takes about an hour on a 12-core machine.

Planned

an x86-64-v3 build for CPUs from 2013 onward (AVX2), next to the generic one
automatic builds for every new kernel release
Secure Boot signing