The free operating system Linux is developing its own version of the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), similar to Windows. This “DRM Panic” warning will alert users of an impending kernel panic and will be integrated into Linux 6.10. The feature will prompt users to restart their system, and will be expanded in future versions.
The new feature was made possible by the use of direct rendering manager (DRM) drivers and kernel mode setting (KMS) drivers. In Linux 6.10, the DRM panic handler has been integrated into the kernel for the first time. The feature currently supports DRM & KMS drivers, SimpleDRM, MGAG200, IMX, and AST, with more drivers expected to be added soon.
Red Hat developer Javier Martinez Canillas shared a screenshot of the BSOD for Linux on Mastodon, which features a blue screen with an ASCII art penguin and the text “Kernel Panic!” in the center. The screen also prompts users to reboot their system.
In the future, the error message is expected to be more detailed and will include a QR code for easy troubleshooting. The feature can already be tested on systems running Linux 6.10 or higher by using the command “echo c > /proc/sysrq-trigger”.