# LINUX & OPEN SOURCE ? SEPTEMBER 2026

The penguin never sleeps.

Here's a look at what's happening around Linux and the open-source world
as of September 2026.

============================================================================== LINUX KERNEL
============

LINUX 7.2.3 IS THE CURRENT STABLE KERNEL

The latest stable Linux kernel is:

```
Linux 7.2.3
```

released September 2, 2026.

Meanwhile, development of the next kernel is already moving quickly.

```
Linux 7.3-rc2
```

was released September 6 and is currently the mainline development kernel.

The stable Linux 7.3 release is expected later this fall.

Kernel.org:
https://www.kernel.org/

============================================================================== LONG-TERM SUPPORT
=================

Linux users who prefer long-term support still have plenty of choices.

Current LTS branches include:

Linux 6.18
Linux 6.12
Linux 6.6
Linux 6.1
Linux 5.15
Linux 5.10

That's one of Linux's greatest strengths:

You don't HAVE to run the newest thing just because it exists.

============================================================================== OPEN-SOURCE HIGHLIGHTS
======================

VANILLA OS 3

Vanilla OS 3 "Reunion" has arrived with ARM64 support, GNOME 50 and
Linux 7.1.

https://vanillaos.org/

FIREFOX 155

Mozilla continues flying the flag for an independent browser engine.

Firefox 155 brings additional performance improvements while Firefox
remains the major alternative to Chromium-based browsers.

https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/

SLACKWARE 16

One of the oldest surviving Linux distributions continues moving forward,
with Slackware 16 development now underway.

Yes...

Slackware is STILL HERE.

And some of us wouldn't have it any other way. :)

============================================================================== THE BEAUTY OF OPEN SOURCE
=========================

Linux runs:

Servers
Supercomputers
Routers
Phones
Raspberry Pis
NAS appliances
TVs
Cars
Cloud infrastructure
BBS systems

...and probably a toaster somewhere.

You can inspect it.
You can modify it.
You can redistribute it.
You can learn from it.

That's the power of open source.

============================================================================== TUX LIVES!
==========

Whether you're running Mint, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Slackware,
openSUSE or something you compiled yourself...

```
HAPPY HACKING!
```

============================================================================== --- ANetBBS
* Origin: ANetBBS - A Modern BBS System (1200:1/1)