QR codes during kernel panics could soon be coming in version 6.12 of the Linux Kernel. This interesting optional feature will see kernel panics now show a QR code of the kernel message. This isn’t the first time that Linux received a QR code. In 2014, there was talk of adding QR codes into kernel panics. Linux also saw its own "BSOD with a QR code" via version 255 of systemd, a Linux management system, added this feature. However, the optional QR code display on Linux 6.12 adds it directly to Linux kernel, so even if a complete operating system crash were to occur, you would still receive a QR code so you can find out in detail what caused the problem. You can see this feature in the latest Linux Kernel documentation, where you would find ‘optionally display QR code’ listed under ‘panic’.
The kernel panic QR code is a powerful and important tool for figuring out what caused the panic, especially as the current kernel panic screen tends to cut-off the kernel panic message. By adding a QR code, one could just grab their phone and scan the QR code to review the log and see what triggered the panic.
On the other hand, Linux 6.12’s kernel panic QR code will give you more in-depth and useful information. So, even if your Linux PC refuses to open anymore and you’re always hit with a kernel panic, you can just scan the QR code to see what’s wrong with the PC. This would make troubleshooting more user friendly, and it would also make it easier for developers and end users to work together when trying to fix a deeper issue.
