Blue Screen of Death to Linux

It might not be the year of the Linux desktop yet, but Linux distributions will soon have their own Blue Screen of Death message.

Windows’ infamous “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD) is a bit of a punchline. People have made a hobby of spotting them out in the wild, and in some circles, they remain a byword for the supposed flakiness and instability of PCs.

The BSOD is supposed to be a diagnostic tool, an informational screen that technicians can use to begin homing in on the problem that caused the crash in the first place. Unfortunate fact that many of the old Windows’ BSOD error codes were often so broad and vague as to be useless doesn’t make the idea a bad one.

Linux systems have traditionally lacked this kind blue screen when they crash. The kernel panic error has been the closest similar to the blue screen of death (BSOD) error in Windows-based systems. But this can change in the near future. New systemd update will bring Windows’ infamous Blue Screen of Death to Linux. The version 255 of the Linux systemd project honors that original intent by adding a systemd-bsod component that generates a full-screen display of some error messages when a Linux system crashes. Systemd is used by Debian, Arch, Fedora, Ubuntu, and many downstream distros, so expect the feature to be available on then sooner or later as a built in default feature or an option that can be turned on when needed.

The systemd-bsod component is currently listed as “experimental” and “subject to change.” But the functionality is simple: any logged error message that reaches the LOG_EMERG level will be displayed full-screen to allow people to take a photo or write it down. The systemd-bsod will also display a QR code for getting more information on the error causing the boot failure. Phoronix reports that, as with BSODs in modern Windows, the Linux version will also generate a QR code to make it easier to look up information on your phone. This is intended specifically to alert users in the case of a boot failure.

The BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH Comes to Linux!

Finally, Bluescreen in LINUX

Sources:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/12/linux-distros-are-about-to-get-a-killer-windows-feature-the-blue-screen-of-death/
https://github.com/systemd/systemd/releases/tag/v255
https://www.phoronix.com/news/systemd-255
https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/7/23992512/linux-blue-screen-of-death-bsod-systemd-update