Merged overnight to the Linux 6.18 kernel were all of the perf subsystem tool updates. Notable with the perf tooling updates is a new Python application living within the kernel source tree.
The perf tools merge for Linux 6.18 included a number of perf tool updates, better support for LLVM Clang cross-compilation, updating against the latest Intel PMU events and metrics, and also some additions to the Python perf code.
The Python bindings have been improved as well as introducing a new “ilist” utility for the perf events code. Yes, just a mini application living within the kernel source tree similar to some other apps living within the kernel source tree for simplicity.
Ian Rogers who developed this new Python application explains that this app “makes browsing perf events and metrics less of a pain.“
Ian Rogers who works for Google developed ilist as a Python app built around the Textual Python library for its text user interface. The app shows perf PMUs and events, displays information from perf in kinder form, and all around should be easier for developers and Linux server administrators to deal with the flow of perf events information.
As of overnight the ilist Python app is now in the kernel source tree at ools/perf/python/ilist.py.