Do Linux Kernel Updates Really Matter?

Today I talk about why you should (or shouldn't) care about a new Linux Kernel update.
👇 PULL IT DOWN FOR THE GOOD STUFF 👇

===== Follow us 🐧🐧 ======

==== Special Thanks to Our Patrons! ====

==== Referenced ====

#linux #ramble #thelinuxcast

[zoltan]

This video perfectly describes what people need to understand about Arch Linux’s “instability” is all about. People think that Arch will just break randomly after an update, which I think isn’t really a fair assessment. Yes, Arch *can* break after an update, but paying attention to the updates greatly helps to mitigate that. Arch isn’t as unstable as it’s made out to be. It just requires more attention than “stable” distros.

[wheezybackports]

Yes, because hardware support, performance improvements, new features and security. That's for desktop and server use most of the time. For embedded use it often doesn't matter unless you want the security factor. It some cases an older stripped down kernel can be better for embedded systems due to resource constraints.

[nosotrosloslobosestamosreg]

I learnt my lesson regarding this topic. In my old laptop with a MX Linux installation I stay to 5.10 since it works and want to keep it as it's.

[droid]

I was excited for kernel 6.0 because I have a newer computer with the Ryzen processor. I think it's important to be aware of what changes come down the pipeline

[jonaskeepauthor]

I paid attention to the major updates, Linux kernel 6 was huge for me as i run amd, i was also pleasantly surprised when everything that wasn't working started working after the upgrade. To be fair though, the last major update that i was really excited about was going from 2.4 to 2.6 before i switched to Mac (when they were still good)

[TB-bbyz]

Yes, sometimes a newer kernel really matters. My computer (graphics) has problems with the older kernel, but everything about 5.19 is ok for my hardware. Right now, I have the 6.0 kernel, which absolutely is fine with me. Greetings from Germany and A Merry X-Mas and A Happy New Year.

[valsharess-yt]

I'm on Gentoo.

Kernel updates are super exciting to me.

[bettdiaz]

Hello. I think they are important. Mostly when you are using last gen hardware. I waited for 6 for a laptop I have, regarding the soundcard and speakers.

[thingsiplay]

I have Manjaro installed with mutltiple Kernels. So if one goes wild, I can just boot a prior LTS version.

[phonewithoutquestion]

I learned that anything power management related like sleep and suspend on 5.10 misbehaves unpredictably on my machine, so I'm having to contend with 5.17+ to rectify this. Oh well. If I wasn't so OCD about that I'd have used AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux over Fedora.

[SpaceEndeavour]

I have noticed my Bluetooth drivers have improved with the newer kernels

[RESPEKTOS]

I update all the time the only thing that sucks is that you cant use any usb keys until you reboot the pc after a kernel update, there were workarounds with hooks and what not but they were all removed for whatever reason and the answer now is "JUST REBOOT".... I come from an era where rebooting was the devil due to having to re-dial your modem and pay for another phone call

[KingBowserLP]

As a security minded person, I take the time to read through kernel update logs. Manjaro gave me the option to install newer kernels, which I usually took over using the LTS one. There's been a few times where, after a kernel update, something which previously had issues (particularly USB devices) suddenly started working.

[Scott]

I'm an update junkie so to me it is very important tracking changes/diff of kernel files, for other people it is still important as more hardware support and performance is always a good thing. There is a linear importance based on how new your hardware is, if hardware is within 2 years of age then odds are there will be lots of added support and performance improvements for them.

[tyisafk]

My take: It really depends on your needs and the hardware you have. Absolutely most of the time it doesn't matter. If it works, then it works, even if you're on an extremely outdated kernel version setting security aside. For me though, I actually had a recent case where my microphone XLR interface straight up didn't exist as a device as far as Linux is concerned (Revelator IO24). It was somewhere during the span of kernel 5.1X where it started working as an input/output device, though I still have to pass it through to a Windows VM to configure it but that's not a dealbreaker since the settings are saved on the device itself even between reboots. And now I'm using an Intel Arc GPU, and while it's great now, there's still issues here and there plus the video codec doesn't work at all due to the lack of firmware. Granted, I understand this is all on me and it doesn't have to be that way, but I also for some reason enjoy updating my system since I prefer beta/experimental stuff so I tend to prefer bleeding/leading-edge distros lmao

[bitterseeds]

I found that on my Thinkpad X1 Nano that the support for the existing hardware in it became much better with 6.x vs. 5.x ... the laptop is actually more responsive and acts less odd at random times. So when Manjaro put up 6.1.1 ... gave it a try. The laptop literally FEELS new again. I'm sure that feeling will go away soon. :D

[javabeanz]

I think that your advice is good for Desktop users. But for servers on LTS type releases, kernel updates are almost exclusively security related, and should typically be installed ASAP! Ubuntu server, RHEL and it's derivatives ( Alma and Rocky ) are designed for long term, stable operation. I don't believe that I have ever had an Ubuntu Server kernel update break the system completely, though under VMWare, I did have to change the selected Network Interface emulation, after a kernel update ( 14.04 LTS ) that apparently wasn't compatible with VMWare's configuration. For those wondering, those NICs appeared to come up, but then couldn't pass traffic.

[heatherbrown]

Great video. I never new this. Thanks. I want to update my kernel

[toranshaw]

To be honest, Kernel updates don't really bother me too much as I have older machines. I mostly get new versions each time I do a distro upgrade or do a fresh install, or if it's a security update which the machine downloads automatically, when I update and upgrade! Might be different if I ever get around to going Arch based, however!

[phrtao]

I must have an odd attitude to updates on Linux. After an update I look out for improvements and fixes as much as I do problems.
I use Manjaro which has a great system for kernel versions. You can install a new kernel but still keep the option to boot into your old one. It is important not to confuse updates with new versions, but on some versions of Linux you do not get a choice, the distro will push out a new kernel version when maybe you are expecting just an update.