A Kernel Question

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pctek

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#236067 16-May-2018 16:52

I haven't updated much, a version, Mint Sarah to Mint Sylvia is all. And not all the bits that come with it.

Have not updated kernel at all.

If I did, what would it change? That is, what effect, if any, does it have on the /home setup?

koolme2

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#2017015 16-May-2018 17:19

mine froze in geekzone, my update manager shows mintupdate not sure why, maybe that had something to do with it in my hp laptop?

michaelmurfy

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#2017024 16-May-2018 17:55

The short answer - nothing. Also kernel updated are Important...

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pctek

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#2018766 19-May-2018 07:43

michaelmurfy: The short answer - nothing. .

The long answer then?
If it changes nothing, why bother?

I'm a fan of if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Rather know what, when, how etc before I do something.

jamesrt

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#2018806 19-May-2018 09:59

pctek:

michaelmurfy: The short answer - nothing. .

The long answer then?

Longer answer:

Most Linux distros won't change too much with the regular patches / updates; so whilst there may be minor version changes (i.e. FireFox 74 to 76 for example). then you won't see that much different. If you change major version (i.e. Ubuntu 16.04 to 18.04) then you'll see bigger changes, new features introduced, old things removed, etc.

HOWEVER, Kernel updates are VERY important for security reasons - Windows does regular updates for a reason, and the Linux Kernel does too. SPECTRE/MELTDOWN, for example.

If you're not applying kernel updates and your machine is connected to the internet, then you are asking for trouble.