The DRM Panic handler is part of the kernel’s Direct Rendering Manager, and it can display a message even if text consoles have been disabled. Now in kernel 6.11, the display can be graphical, enabling snazzy new features such as showing what went wrong in the form of QR codes.

As Phoronix describes, thanks to Raspberry Pi developers, in 6.11 DRM support extends to displaying a black-and-white TV-compatible signal. Pi hardware is often deployed in digital signage, CCTV systems, and so on, and it’s entirely possible that no better display may be available. Now kernel 6.11 can output over old-fashioned low-rez monochrome video, as shown via a composite video output. We hope you never see it, but if you do, take consolation that your open source black screen of death can now be grainier and less colorful than ever.