What exactly is the point of rolling release? My pc (well, the cpu) is 15 years old, I dont need bleeding edge updates. Or is it for security ?
What exactly is the point of rolling release? My pc (well, the cpu) is 15 years old, I dont need bleeding edge updates. Or is it for security ?
Stable will still get security patches and bug updates, just no new major kernel jumps or new features.
Many smaller projects not explicitly supported by the vendor only make new releases and don’t also maintain a stable version.
. . . until something in the stack requires a significant kernel upgrade, and then you’re stuck.
That’s a very odd example to choose given how trivially interchangable kernels are.
At NixOS, we ship the same set of kernels on stable and rolling; the only potential difference being the default choice.
I’m pretty sure most other stable distros optionally ship newer kernels too. There isn’t really a technical reason why they couldn’t.
Yep, it is helpful for corporate applications, where nothing can introduce possible behavioural changes, that affect users, program function or the application development.
Most “stable” distros offer kernel version that update more frequently to accommodate new hardware.
Most “rolling” distros offer LTS kernels that remain essentially unchanged for long periods.
The kernel is one of the smallest differences between the two models.