Linux 6.19-rc8 was released today, February 2, 2026, marking an extended development cycle for the upcoming kernel version. This additional release candidate emerged "not due to any scary bugs but rather due to the holiday downtime at the end of the year," as reported by Phoronix. Typically, the stable kernel would follow -rc7; however, the release schedule was extended by a week. The stable Linux 6.19 kernel is now expected to arrive next Sunday, February 9, 2026, providing further time for testing and stabilization.