We are only two or three weeks away from the stable version of Linux 6.16, as Linus Torvalds has issued the sixth release candidate. Notably, Torvalds experienced a "scare" this week as a result of kernel instability. Unfortunately, it was hard to replicate the problem or identify the underlying reason.
At first, Torvalds blamed everyone "and their pet hamster," speculating that it might be a DRM or Netlink problem. Fortunately, the problem could be reproduced and resolved by simply going back to the time before the problem was discovered.
Apart from one somewhat significant problem, this week's solutions were rather dispersed and didn't concentrate much on any one area. According to Torvalds, there are fixes for networking, filesystems, drivers, arch fixes, tooling, and documentation.
For those who are not aware with the Linux kernel development cycle, new features are added to the kernel after a release has reached gold status, and then the release cycles start to stabilize those new features. After seven or eight RCs, the new version is released, and Linux distributions can begin distributing it.
Upgrading the kernel mostly results in enhanced file system performance and the inclusion of new hardware. If you've tried Linux before and the graphics or Wi-Fi didn't work, you might be able to get your gear to function again after a significant kernel upgrade.
Although there was a concerning scare last week that might have caused Linux 6.16 to be delayed, things appear to be back on track as Torvalds calls for further testing to be done for the next "few more weeks." This implies that testing will begin this week prior to RC7 and continue for an additional week prior to the stable release.
On July 27, Linux 6.16 should be released if no significant problems arise. Slower distros like Ubuntu will wait until the next major release, while more cutting-edge distributions like Fedora and Arch should make it available to their customers shortly after.