--- title: "Linus Torvalds jokingly ponders his successor as Linux boss" url: https://daily.dev/posts/linus-torvalds-jokingly-ponders-his-successor-as-linux-boss-g4n5paj6k source_url: https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/02/23/linux_7_0_rc1/ type: article source: "The Register" published: 2026-02-23T00:59:29.918Z updated: 2026-02-26T17:23:37.935Z tags: ["open-source", "linux", "rust"] reading_time: 3 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Linus Torvalds jokingly ponders his successor as Linux boss **[The Register](https://daily.dev/sources/theregister)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Linus Torvalds released Linux kernel 7.0 rc1, joking that the major version bump is purely because he gets confused by large numbers, not due to any significant feature milestone. He mused that a future, more numerically fearless maintainer will eventually take over, referencing the Linux community's recently developed succession plan. The release itself was described as a smooth merge window, and includes notable changes such as cemented Rust support, faster cache clearing, non-disruptive kernel update capabilities, updated AMD/Intel silicon support, RISC-V and LoongArch performance improvements, and removal of a legacy 1990s IBM ThinkPad modem driver. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#rust](https://daily.dev/tags/rust) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/linus-torvalds-jokingly-ponders-his-successor-as-linux-boss-g4n5paj6k)