A different twist on the "Best Distro" question

[sym]

Which distro tends to come out with new kernels quickest?

I often buy new technologies, and I was wondering which distro tended to support new things quickest?

[subnet_rx]

if you buy something new, and your kernel doesn't support it, then it has to be recompiled with that option enabled. As far as I know, there isn't a distro that does that. I think most will just use your old config files when you upgrade. I think the best option for you would be learn how to recompile yourself, it will save you a lot of trouble and you can better tweak your kernel for performance.

[ee99ee2]

Not sure on which one is the fastest, but I reccomend Mandrake or Slackware. I know Mandrake was pretty fast with getting the new kernel out.

-ee99ee2

[Okie]

i will agree with the first reply, i would only update my kernel only if something needs it updated to run, or a security issue requires it to be updated...

i have kernel version 2.4.3-12 for Redhat 7.1 i know that the latest version is somewhere around 2.4.9 or 2.4.10 but unless i find a reason that requires my kernel to be updated i wont get it updated...

other than the above issues i wont update my kernel untill i get the next version of Redhat (7.2?) i see no reason to nitpick kernels or other parts of the Linux OS and i am patient while waiting for the next version of Linux (any distro) because i rather wait longer for a good & stable reliece than see a Linux distro rushed out the door just to get a number bumped up a notch...

[slacker_x]

sym, you would be best to just compile your own kernel as often as you want to. I compile a new kernel once every few releases. Debian makes it really easy with make-kpkg.

[sym]

Thanks.

I have dreaded having to compile my own kernel, but it seems that that is the best answer in this situation.

[danrees]

Mandrake tends to get new features out quickly, but this can be a disadvantage if they are not yet proven.

The answer to your question is, go with the distribution you like the feel of and just upgrade the kernel from kernel.org.

[X_console]

Compiling your kernel the first time can be daunting. Expect it to take a couple of hours of your time going through each configuration. Fortunately once that's done, make sure you save your .config file. In the future when you need to upgrade to a new kernel, simply copy your .config to /usr/src/linux and do a make oldconfig and you only have to modify the new features the new kernel contains.

[evulish]

Debian has pretty fast updates. I suppose that depends on if you have the right sources.list

[subnet_rx]

I'm am most likely going to install Red Hat 7.2 which supposedly comes with 2.4.7 and then upgrade to 2.4.13(if they fixed the VM issues completely) as soon as it comes out. Would make oldconfig allow me to then do a make xconfig and edit the config that's already been made?