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⇱ Mesa Granted Permanent Updates Exception For Fedora Linux - Phoronix


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Mesa Granted Permanent Updates Exception For Fedora Linux

Written by Michael Larabel in Fedora on 7 April 2026 at 06:09 AM EDT. 14 Comments
It doesn't change too much in practice with how Mesa updates typically have been handled under Fedora Linux, but now it's officially documented: Mesa graphics drivers have a permanent updates exception so new Mesa versions can be shipped as updates in Fedora stable releases.

Similar to Fedora's permanent updates exception for the Linux kernel that allows new major Linux kernel releases to be shipped down to stable Fedora versions as updates, their Mesa packages now officially have the same treatment.

New Mesa versions have typically been shipped down to Fedora stable users as updates but without a documented exception policy in place. The Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee (FESCo) has formally granted the permanent exception to make it clear going forward.

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New Mesa versions are important for fixing graphics driver issues with games/apps, introducing new GPU hardware support in tandem with new kernel versions, bringing performance optimizations, and all-around useful updates for keeping as a leading-edge Linux platform with Fedora.

The permanent exception was granted via this FESCo ticket.

Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience. Michael has written more than 20,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated benchmarking software. He can be followed via Twitter, LinkedIn, or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.