OpenWrt is a GNU/Linux distribution for embedded devices that has been designed to work on routers and a few other platforms. This is a new maintenance release, and it's available for download.

OpenWrt is on operating systems designed to work with routers and other similar embedded devices, and it's been around for a long time. Some of the previous versions have been pretty exciting, but the current version is not really about new features, as it's more about fixes and other smaller updates.

The developers of OpenWrt have already gone through a few Release Candidates, and they fixed most of the issues that have been spotted by the community and developers. Even the name is indicative of what's all about, Chaos Calmer. Nevertheless, the 15.05 edition of this release is an important one, and it should be treated as such.

What's new in OpenWrt

"Instead of trying to create a single, static firmware, OpenWrt provides a fully writable filesystem with package management. This frees you from the application selection and configuration provided by the vendor and allows you to customize the device through the use of packages to suit any application," is noted in the official announcement.

According to the changelog, the Linux kernel has been updated to version 3.18, a number of security issues have been fixed, the networking support has been improved, support has been added for feeds of externally maintained targets, and a lot of other smaller corrections have been performed.

OpenWrt offers support for a larger number of devices and covers famous like Asus, Belkin, D-Link, Netgear, and many others. A complete list of changes and updates can be found in the official announcement. You can download OpenWrt 15.05 right now from Softpedia. This is not a regular Linux distribution, and it has to be deployed differently, depending on the device being used.

It's also important to mention that it's possible to soft-brick the router in the installation process, but it's rarely something that can't be fixed. Take care and make sure that you have a supported router.