Linus Torvalds today announced the availability of the first Release Candidate (RC1) for the upcoming Linux 6.19 kernel series. This release marks the beginning of the public testing phase, allowing developers and users to contribute to the stabilization process ahead of the final 6.19 release. As noted recently, Linux 6.19 has already seen significant merges, including x86 platform driver enhancements for laptops and handhelds, as detailed in our December 14 article. Torvalds stated the RC1 is available for "public testing" to help identify and resolve issues.