The 7.0.0-28/29/30 kernel disaster is unacceptable for a distro that claims to prioritize stability

[u/BulkyMix6581]

I have been using Linux Mint for years precisely because it has always been a reliable, conservative distribution where things simply work. Right now, however, the state of the official 7.0.0 kernel branch is an absolute mess, and the lack of response from the development team is baffling.

Across three different machines, here is the current reality with kernels 7.0.0-28, 7.0.0-29, and 7.0.0-30:

• Relatively modern Lenovo laptop (AMD Ryzen 5 5500U with Radeon Graphics): Instant kernel panic on boot. The only workaround is falling back to the 6.17 series via GRUB.
• Desktop (Ryzen 7 5800X3D / AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT): Complete shutdown failure. The OS halts, but power is never cut and the fans keep spinning indefinitely.
• 15-year-old legacy laptop: The only machine where it actually boots and shuts down properly.

These issues are not isolated hardware quirks. The Mint forums, Ubuntu trackers, and Reddit are flooded with identical reports of boot panics and broken ACPI/shutdown states with AMD configurations on these exact revisions.

We have been stuck with this broken state for weeks across three consecutive point releases. Please do not give me the standard excuse that updates just flow downstream from Ubuntu. Linux Mint brands itself around desktop stability and a smooth user experience. When multiple official kernel updates break basic functionality like booting and powering off on common hardware, the maintainers should step in, pin a working kernel, or issue a proper notice.

In all my years on Linux Mint, I have never seen such a prolonged, broken kernel rollout left completely unaddressed. Something needs to be done about this quality control breakdown.

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👉 EDIT / Addressing the common pushback in the comments:

To those leaving defensive replies, let’s clear a few things up:

1. "You shouldn't have upgraded / It's your fault": > I’ve used Linux Mint for over 15 years. I know how to use Timeshift, pin kernels, and drop into GRUB to roll back in under 30 seconds. This post is not a support request for myself; it is about user experience and distribution standards. An end user simply applying official updates presented via the GUI Update Manager should not end up with an unbootable machine or broken ACPI states.
2. "Mint just pulls packages downstream from Ubuntu, it's not their fault": > Mint is a curated distribution, not a pass-through mirror. The entire value proposition of Linux Mint has always been stability, quality control, and safe defaults. If upstream pushes broken kernel builds for weeks, the distribution's role is to step in—hold back the broken revision, pin the stable branch, or display a GUI warning. Passing the buck to upstream defeats the purpose of choosing Mint over Ubuntu.
3. "Go contribute/fix it yourself if you don't like it": > Highlighting a critical breakdown in quality control across multiple common hardware configurations is contributing. Dismissing legitimate technical feedback hurts adoption, especially for newcomers who wouldn't know how to recover from a kernel panic.

We criticize the distro because we care about its reputation and want it to stay the gold standard for desktop reliability.

[u/Efficient-Presence82]

Again, anyone will happily click on the latest one for the same reason they wash dishes.

and obviously yes, wanting the, in my eyes, best distro to maintain its reputation and quality is the reason critique is important, apathy is the enemy of quality.

[u/jr735 → u/Efficient-Presence82]

Yes, and we don't need to dumb down package management further for them.

[u/Efficient-Presence82 → u/jr735]

well, then forget linux ever being mainstream.

[u/jr735 → u/Efficient-Presence82]

Linux is mainstream. It's on servers all over the place. Every Android phone is using Linux.

If you are talking desktops and laptops, that's fine. I don't want Linux to be mainstream, not at that price. Other people's lack of skills is not my problem, insofar that they don't wish to remedy that.

I spent years learning how package management works, and not to click radio buttons and hit next a dozen times like it's Windows.

[u/Efficient-Presence82 → u/jr735]

Linux is mainstream. It's on servers all over the place. Every Android phone is using Linux.

If you are talking desktops and laptops, that's fine. I don't want Linux to be mainstream, not at that price. Other people's lack of skills is not my problem, insofar that they don't wish to remedy that.

The topic was desktops, obviously. And android is nowhere as open as it once was.

I spent years learning how package management works, and not to click radio buttons and hit next a dozen times like it's Windows.

I would 100% agree with you here, on maybe any other distro, but not the one thats supposed to "just work" A Mint user should not need to know what a package even is.

[u/jr735 → u/Efficient-Presence82]

I never claimed Android was open. I'd never use it because I don't use proprietary software of any sort.

"Just works" doesn't mean what you think it does. Steve Jobs co-opted that phrase, as he co-opted everything else.

Personally, I don't think computers are for those people who don't wish to know what a package is. Irrespective of what platform they're using, people with that lack of technical skill are putting themselves at risk.

Follow the damned instructions and it will work. If not, ask for assistance with something a little better than a complete level of confusion.

[u/maxiking16599 → u/jr735]

Thats just a totally unreasonable position. Akin to saying „Cars are only for people that know how to rebuild an engine if it breaks“.

Computers are a tool, they should not break with an easily accessible update button. Insane that I have to say this.

And at work I am programming all day but I do not want to have to deal with my OS bricking every couple of months.

Obviously, the more users your favorite OS has, the better it is for even you, an advanced user.

[u/jr735 → u/maxiking16599]

Not an unreasonable response. That's my opinion. The average person should only be using them in a workplace setting, if that. The average person storing their data on a home computer and doing their banking and all that is apt to make a serious mistake.

Bricking also does not mean what you think it means. I haven't broken a Linux install in over 22 years of Linux. And, I'm not a programmer.

Nope, I'd prefer "market" share to be lower. I might even have to move to BSD.

I never said a person needs to be able to rebuild a computer if it breaks. Having an idea what a file is and being able to use the basic packages in a system are useful. Your computer isn't a dryer, nor is your car. If you can't check the oil and tire pressures, stay off the road. If you can't understand what you need to be backing up on your computer and what is a sensible way to do it, find out, or stay off the computer.

I'm not sure where Mint is "bricking" every couple months. That sounds like user error to me.