Debian 12 "Bookworm" is expected to adopt Linux kernel 6.1 LTS
CTOnews.com The Debian Project recently announced that alpha 2 development version of the Debian installer for the upcoming Debian GNU / Linux 12"Bookworm" operating system series has been publicly tested, indicating that the final version will use the Linux 6.1 kernel LTS series.
Debian GNU / Linux 12"Bookworm" is only three or four months away, and the development team is working hard to prepare new features and improvements for the Debian installer. The biggest changes so far are the addition of non-free firmware by default and the move to Linux kernel 6.1 LTS in the official image (CTOnews.com note: this will get continuous updates until December 2026). These facilitate hardware support for new installations.
Firmware binaries included in non-free firmware packages are usually enabled by default if the system determines they are needed, but Debian projects have built-in methods for users to disable them at startup (boot menu options, kernel command line, etc.) when possible.
The upcoming release of Debian GNU / Linux 12"Bookworm" also promises Windows 11 detection for dual-boot installations, support for all amd64 installation images to boot on amd64 devices using 32-bit UEFI firmware without the need for multi-architecture installers, netboot images for ChromeOS devices, and EFI zboot support on AArch64 (ARM64).
The new release will also bring support for new ARM devices, including Banana Pi BPI M2 Ultra, ODROID-C4, ODROID-HC4, ODROID-N2 and ODROID-N2 + single-board computers, Purism Librem 5r4 (Evergreen) Linux smartphones and MNT Reform Version 2 modular laptops, as well as support for new RISC-V devices, including SiFive HiFive Unmatched and BeagleV Starlight Beta, and the Microchip PolarFire-SoC Icicle suite.
