Fedora 45 Is Out: kmscon Replaces the In-Kernel Console, GNOME 51, Python 3.15, and Podman 6

Fedora Linux 45 was released on November 3, 2026, roughly two weeks behind its original October 20 target. The delay was worth it: this is one of the more substantive Fedora releases in recent memory, touching everything from the kernel console to the package manager to the installer to the Python runtime.

The Headline: kmscon Replaces the In-Kernel Console

The most architecturally significant change in Fedora 45 is the replacement of fbcon — the in-kernel virtual terminal — with kmscon, a userspace console implementation. This has been discussed in the Linux community for years. Fedora is the first major distribution to ship it by default, meaning the virtual console you drop into when X or Wayland isn't running is now a fully userspace component. This matters for multi-seat setups, accessibility tooling, and anything that needs a more capable pre-display-server terminal experience.

Desktop and Kernel

Fedora Workstation 45 ships GNOME 51 and runs on Linux kernel 7.2. A 7.3 kernel update is expected shortly after release via stable updates. The KDE Spin follows with Plasma 6.8, though sources differ slightly on the exact point release. Atomic desktop editions (Silverblue, Kinoite) gain a new WebUI installer that supports secure remote installation over HTTPS with PIN pairing — a substantial improvement for headless and enterprise deployments.

Developer Stack

The software version bumps in Fedora 45 are aggressive. The full list includes: Python 3.15, Go 1.27, GCC 16.2, LLVM 23, Glibc 2.44, and RPM 6.1. Podman 6 is a headline item — it comes with CLI and API breaking changes, so anyone running Podman-based container workflows should audit their scripts before upgrading.

Security by Default

Two security changes stand out. First, Fedora 45 now enforces RPM package signature verification by default, meaning unsigned packages will not install without an explicit override. Second, ptrace is restricted by default — a containment measure that limits which processes can inspect other processes' memory, reducing exposure from debugging-based privilege escalation.

The Stratis Storage integration into the Anaconda installer also lands in this release, and Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptop support has been improved — relevant for anyone running Fedora on the growing range of Arm-based portable hardware.

Should You Upgrade?

If you are on Fedora 44, yes — this is a clean, well-scoped release. The kmscon change is the only thing worth reading about before you upgrade: check that your existing multi-seat or accessibility workflows are compatible, since kmscon behaves differently from fbcon in some edge cases. For standard Workstation use, the transition should be invisible. Full release notes are available at Fedora's official wiki.