We always talk about the importance of having an operating system, and all programs, updated to their latest versions. This allows us to take full advantage of its functions, to be able to use it without errors and, in addition, to be sure that nothing endangers our security. However, when it comes to Linux, especially distributions like Ubuntu, installing the latest kernel may not always be the best option.
Ubuntu does not come with an original version of the Linux Kernel, but instead comes with a version modified by Canonical with specific patches and optimizations for this distro. This is the version that the company will maintain throughout the life cycle of the distro. When a new version is released 6 months later, it will bring a newer version, also modified and optimized by the organization.
Of course, Canonical doesn’t stop you from installing another kernel on the distro. Any user can download and install the latest version of the official kernel, or any other modified version, such as real time. However, we must analyze the pros and cons of doing this.
What are the advantages of installing the latest Linux kernel in Ubuntu?
The latest versions of the Ubuntu Kernel, the official one, are mainly characterized by bringing support for new hardware, optimizing performance and solving errors. It is rare to find a feature that is really essential for day to day. If we install the latest version of the kernel , what we will mainly achieve will be to improve the functioning of the PC, especially with the newest hardware . But little else. What’s more, as each kernel version gets bigger and bigger, it may happen that, when installing the latest version, we experience a performance loss due to having to process more packages and more lines of code.
If we want file systems such as EXT4, exFAT or ZFS to work better, or load Linux on the latest ARM CPU that has not yet hit the market, then we will have no choice but to install the new version. Otherwise, better not change it.
Why not change the Kernel to Ubuntu
As we have explained, the Kernel that comes in Ubuntu is not the same that we can download from Kernel.org . Canonical implements a number of patches, enhancements, and fixes to make it work optimally on your operating system. If we install a kernel not optimized for Ubuntu, we will be losing all these patches and Canonical optimizations , and the distro may not work as it is intended to.
In addition, if we have a system with UEFI and Secure Boot , changing the Kernel for an unsigned one, even if it is compiled by us, can make our PC not boot directly as it does not have the digital signatures that Canonical, and other developers, include, to be able to function in these systems.
And what about the latest version of the official Ubuntu kernel?
Although the new versions do not reach our distribution, Canonical works from the first moment with the new versions of the Kernel and prepares them for the following versions of Ubuntu. This means that, if we want, we can install the latest version of the Kernel (currently 5.8.1) modified by Canonical in our Ubuntu. And we can do it with a simple command:
wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8.1/amd64/linux-headers-5.8.1-050801_5.8.1-050801.202008111432_all.deb && sudo dpkg -i *.deb
What happen? These modified kernel versions are not yet ready to run in production. In other words, they are “beta” that can be buggy. Therefore, this version 5.8.1 is not anywhere near as stable as the kernel 5.4 included as standard in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS . When this version is finished it will be included in the next version of the distro, in this case, in Ubuntu 20.10.
