by George Whittaker The Linux kernel development cycle continues with the release of Linux 6.19-rc4, the fourth release candidate in the lead-up to the final 6.19 stable kernel. As with previous RC builds, this release is aimed squarely at developers, testers, and early adopters who help identify bugs and regressions before the kernel is finalized. Release candidates are not feature drops — they are checkpoints. And rc4 reflects exactly that role. What Does rc4 Mean in the Kernel Cycle? By the time the fourth release candidate arrives, the merge window is long closed. That means all major features for Linux 6.19 are already in place, and the focus has shifted entirely to: Fixing bugs introduced earlier in the cycle Addressing regressions reported by testers Refining drivers, subsystems, and architecture-specific code In other words, rc4 is about stability and correctness, not surprises. What’s Changed in Linux 6.19-rc4 While rc releases don’t usually headline major features, they do in