Re: [ANNOUNCE] Vendor kernels unpakced

[Joseph Andrew Knapka <jknapka@earthlink.net>]

Marco Colombo wrote:
> 
> [removed l-k since it's OT there]
> 
> On Fri, 10 Aug 2001, Phil Kos wrote:
> 
> > > Just as it makes no sense to run a not-up-to-date release
> > > kernel, it makes
> > > no sense to keep anything but the very last on line. Just MVHO.
> >
> > I beg to differ, Herr Doktor von Brand. It makes more sense to run a
> > not-up-to-date release kernel than it does to slavishly update to every new
> > release without any pressing need for new features or functionality. Don't
> > fall into the commercial software trap of "it's newer, so it *must* be
> > better!"--here be tygers...
> 
> What? Most updates are bug fixes.

Except that many are enhancements to support future functionality,
or refectoring of working code in order to improve maintainability,
or complete rewrites of major, working kernel subsystems (eg VM
changes 2.2-->2.4). Frequently the bugs that are fixed in a minor
release are ones that are only triggered by uncommon kernel or
hardware configurations. While quality control of the Linux kernel
is generally quite good, it's not unheard of for such improvements
to break the kernel for some subset of users.

> And I *do* want kernel bug fixes.

Even if those bugfixes have no relevance to your particular
site? If the bugs that are fixed aren't relevant
to your installation, the risk surely outweighs the benefit.
If the machine behaves identically after the upgrade, what
have you gained?

Of course if your goal is not to maintain a stable production
box, but rather to keep up a bleeding-edge development environment -
also a perfectly reasonable goal - then go right ahead :-)

Security fixes are also a good reason by themselves to
upgrade a kernel, although security problems seem more
frequently to arise in user-space programs.

Regards,

-- 
# Joe Knapka
# "You know how many remote castles there are along the
#  gorges? You can't MOVE for remote castles!" - Lu Tze re. Uberwald
# 2nd Lbl A + 1 = 2nd Pause 2nd Prt A
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