Linux 7.0 stalls: torvalds voices frustration over release woes
Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, is publicly expressing considerable dissatisfaction with the current state of the upcoming Linux 7.0 release. The highly anticipated kernel, a cornerstone for many operating systems, is facing a barrage of issues even in its fourth release candidate (RC4), casting a shadow over its planned April 2026 general release.
Kernel chaos: bugs plague linux 7.0 development
The initial releases of Linux 7.0 were already larger than usual, but the subsequent RC versions have amplified the problems. Torvalds’ comments, posted on the Linux kernel mailing list, reveal a sense of mounting frustration. “I had hoped things would calm down, but they haven’t.” The RC4, intended to refine details, has been plagued by a steady stream of patches, particularly in networking and weekly updates.
A significant portion of the issues revolves around the scheduler (mm/cid), a component rewritten months ago. This change has triggered rare bugs involving vfork(), CLONE_VM, and conditions capable of crashing systems under heavy load. Furthermore, recent updates address performance issues with AMD RDNA4 GPUs during intensive tasks like AI inference (Llama.cpp) and heavy computation, preventing excessive power consumption.
The situation is complicated by the release schedule of Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, which depends on Linux 7.0. Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has indicated it will release the 7.0 kernel even if the official release isn't finalized. This decision is considered risky by many in the open-source community.
Despite the challenges, Torvalds maintains that the core problems aren’t catastrophic, but the sheer volume of changes is concerning. “There are just more changes than is normal at this point,” he stated. He is urging developers to continue testing rigorously to uncover remaining bugs.
The pressure is on to stabilize Linux 7.0 before the Ubuntu deadline. The next iterations, RC5 and RC6, are expected to be smaller and more focused. The question isn’t whether these issues will be resolved, but whether the timeline remains feasible. The weight of the ecosystem rests on a stable 7.0.