Extended-Term Support
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Hello,
I wanted to share that I've added another support option for my Linux-libre APT repo. In addition to Long-Term Support (LTS) kernels, which are supported for 2 years, I'm adding Extended-Term Support (ETS) kernels, which are supported for 6 years.
I've updated https://jxself.org/linux-libre/ to include a blurb about STS, LTS, and ETS and how they're different.
Enjoy!
I am a translator!
\o/
jxself
That is real cool of yourself in adding more support.
What does it actually mean that it is "supported"?
Just like the long-term support (LTS) kernels you get bug fixes, security updates, backported features. The primary difference between LTS and ETS is the support period: 6 years versus 2 years. An ETS kernel is a good choice for someone that wants the reliability and dependability of an LTS version for an extended period.
I don't quite understand. I mean.. isn't new versions of Linux-libre released to fix bugs etc? In that sense it is logical to always upgrade to the newest release?
Newer versions do more than just bug fixes and provide security updates: They also introduce new and changed functionality. Anything is fair game once Linus Torvalds opens the merge window at kernel.org for people to send in their changes for the next major kernel release. The concern is that adding in new functionality (or changing existing functionality) can also introduce new problems and regressions. Yes, those can be fixed with later patch updates to those newer versions, and they are, but by having LTS or ETS versions that limit changes to bug and security fixes those kinds problems can be avoided in the first place because the types of changes that can be made are less disruptive. They are therefore safer to apply, without also having to wonder about what else changed in a major new kernel release. So, LTS and ETS versions are a good choice for someone that places a higher priority over long-term stability than over having the latest version with the latest functions. It's the same reason that someone might choose an LTS version of a distro.
You can also think of it as being a form of change control:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_control
Interesting. I think I understand a little better now. There are still some things I find strange though.
Let's say you're using the latest kernel and everything seems to be working fine, is it logical to say that it's recommended to use the newest one then?
Or can it be other reasons to use older kernels? Like for example... maybe older kernels take up less space or something?
"Or can it be other reasons to use older kernels?"
Yes, I suppose there could be any number of reasons. One I can think of is the radeon kernel module. On newer kernel versions the module is known to fall over and die when the proprietary junk is not present, resulting in the computer using VESA and getting a lower screen resolution. I know of a few people that have stuck with older versions in order to avoid this.
This could also be an example of a regression, and could also be a reason that someone would use an LTS or ETS kernel because the version that worked for them (3.2) was an LTS kernel. People that stayed on the older LTS version never experienced that problem, while those that moved on to ever-newer versions were bitten by the bug, which still exists to this day as far as I know.
"is it logical to say that it's recommended to use the newest one then?"
Not necessarily. What might be "recommended" depends on someone's priorities. This circles back to the features vs. stability problem. This could be compared to using the Testing version of some GNU/Linux distribution versus the Stable version. Testing is newer. Stable has the version numbers of the packages frozen on release and so will get older with time. It gets bug and security fixes only. Which is better? Which is "recommended"? That's a decision someone will have to make on their own about what they find to be more important to them.
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