Linus Torvalds has initiated the development of Linux Kernel 7.0, releasing the first Release Candidate (RC1) two weeks after the launch of Kernel 6.19. Torvalds humorously attributed the new major version number to personal confusion with large numbers, emphasizing that it does not signify groundbreaking new features or the abandonment of old interfaces, but rather "solid progress." He anticipates a new major version approximately every three and a half years, expressing confidence that a more numerically adept individual will be in charge by the time the major version number becomes significantly large. The merge window for 7.0 was notably smooth, with Torvalds reporting fewer boot errors than usual. The changes in RC1 are extensive, with approximately two-thirds dedicated to drivers and the remaining third to a diverse mix of architecture files, file systems, tools, and core kernel code. The planned release date for Kernel 7.0 is mid-April, following a typical schedule of seven to eight weekly release candidates.