GNU Coreutils 9.10 Released With Many Improvements

GNU Coreutils 9.10 has been released, bringing a host of improvements to the essential command-line utilities that form the backbone of Linux systems and other Unix-like platforms. This release follows closely on the heels of Rust Coreutils 0.6, highlighting the ongoing evolution of core system utilities.

Key Performance Improvements

One of the most significant performance enhancements in Coreutils 9.10 is the dramatic speedup for directory processing. The du command can now process directories containing 10,000 or more entries up to 9 times faster when using the Lustre file-system. This optimization is particularly valuable for system administrators and developers working with large codebases or data-intensive applications where directory traversal performance can become a bottleneck.

Bug Fixes and Stability

Coreutils 9.10 addresses a critical infinite loop issue that affected the cp, install, and mv commands when copying sparse files with SEEK_HOLE. This fix prevents potential system hangs during file operations, improving overall system reliability.

The release also includes improved error handling for the cksum, du, and wc commands, which now exit promptly when encountering write errors. This change provides significant time savings when processing multiple input files, as the commands no longer hang indefinitely on failed write operations.

New Features and Enhancements

Several utilities have gained new capabilities in this release. The tail command now includes a --debug option, providing developers with better tools for troubleshooting and understanding command behavior. The stat and tail commands have been updated to recognize the guest-memfd file-system type, improving compatibility with modern virtualization environments.

The ls command has received enhanced hyperlink formatting when using the --hyperlink option, making directory listings more readable and informative when output to terminals that support hyperlinks.

Binary Size Optimization

For systems where binary size matters, the multi-call binary built via --enable-single-binary is now approximately 3.2% smaller. While this may seem like a modest improvement, it can be meaningful for embedded systems, container images, and other environments where every kilobyte counts.

Availability

GNU Coreutils 9.10 is available for download from the official GNU Savannah repository. System administrators and developers are encouraged to upgrade to benefit from the performance improvements, bug fixes, and new features included in this release.

This release demonstrates the continued commitment to maintaining and improving these fundamental utilities that power countless Linux systems worldwide. The combination of performance optimizations, bug fixes, and new features makes Coreutils 9.10 a worthwhile upgrade for most users.