Linux is gaining support for new hardware -- particularly USB 3.0 devices -- and a new performance subsystem, courtesy of the newly released Linux 2.6.31 kernel.

The release is the third Linux kernel release of the year and follows the 2.6.30 kernel, which came out in June.

Chief among new hardware features is the addition of support for the USB 3.0 specification, which is the next generation of USB. For Linux's backers, the addition is a key one.

"From my personal viewpoint, the USB 3.0 support is great to see," Linux kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman told InternetNews.com. "It's nice to see Linux support the latest hardware functionality before any other operating system again. We had USB 2.0 and Bluetooth support before any other operating systems as well."

The USB 3.0 specification, which has been under development by Intel since 2007, offers speeds of up to 4.8 gigabits per second.

Overall Linux performance will also get a boost in the new kernel, thanks to the performance counter subsystem known as "perf".

"It will help kernel developers, and other developers, properly determine places where code needs to be changed, and also help out in figuring bottlenecks in how systems are set up to hopefully allow them to be resolved," Kroah-Hartman said. "It's very easy to use, and is quite nice to see happen."

The previous 2.6.30 kernel included improvement to boot times, which is something that is further improved in the new 2.6.31 kernel Kroah-Hartman noted that with the additional boot speed enhancements, his Moblin-based netbook can now boot the kernel in less than a second.

"It's faster to shut the machine down and bring it up again than it is to suspend it to disk, which is a very nice change to have," Kroah-Hartman said.