The two-week merge window from the Linux 5.2 kernel series, which is now ready for mass deployments, is now closed, so the development cycle of Linux kernel 5.3 has kicked off over the weekend with the first RC (Release Candidate) ready for download and testing. According to Linus Torvalds, Linux kernel 5.3 RC1 is a pretty big release, but not the biggest ever. It also looks like the merge window had a “rocky start,” according to Linus Torvalds, as several bugs needed to be fixed for everything to go well and release the first RC (Release Candidate) build to the public. Despite that, it would appear that the Linux 5.3 kernel series is very promising with many exciting new features and enhancements.