I hope this is Windows-inspired satire. If I get a kernel panic I want something I can actually read.
It's been there for like 2 years (6.12 iirc) so it is not satire it is real.
For context, kernel panics seem to sometimes be encoded as a URL in the QR code by distros. The panic text is encoded as a numeric parameter. For example:
https://jexposit.fedorapeople.org/drm-panic/#?a=x86_64&v=6.17.0-rc2+&z=64016708045408584681305161836175901065787789727173061004041671633088591186286363786562987653814347942450168430510852681524688435157911241621365859153819732690406649525043247774110913752991389170560320455163781439079986337356710273501164645667555084821480237326301207073831710176482850121513079951455217310046422632328303510474264780788030301611164774573122018172510304672562667379831349924441560360997679573341401750485619388375493[... many more digits]
https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/f45-change-proposal-d...
This script is to decode such kernel panics without needing to provide it to an external service.
In the particular URL example, the panic is not necessarily sent to a server, because it's in a URL fragment (`#`), but still.
The panic text is encoded as a numeric parameter.
This script is to decode such kernel panics without needing to provide it to an external service.
WTF. A solution for an entirely self-inflicted problem.
> self-inflicted
Distro developers and user are separate people. Also, a person viewing the QR code is not necessarily the owner of the panicked system.
I think that's a really good idea! Would love to see this upstream
It is? This is drm-panic qr codes from Linux 6.12. It’s a neat feature but I’m not sure why this random implementation is particularly interesting.
Can't a phone decode a QR code natively? I don't even get what it does
If you decode it and open the link, you are potentially leaking data to whoever controls the domain of the URL.
Link previews even! Just paste it into a group chat and everyone’s message clients will happily issue a GET request.
That's not how it works. The chat app requests the link preview and caches it.
This sounds like the panicky adverts from 20-odd years ago "YOUR COMPUTER IS LEAKING YOUR IP ADDRESS!!11!!""2!!2!!"
You can decode a QR code by hand. It’s usually not worth your while but it’s understandable.
This is about a second step of decoding.
Qr -> URL -> Panic Log