this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2023
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Drivers are packaged with the kernel. The kernel doesn't update between Ubuntu and Debian major releases.
What? Modules (drivers) are absolutely updated all the time. What do you mean between major versions? Of the distro or the kernel? The distros generally choose a specific kernel (lts or otherwise) for their release cycle, but to think it's static or that backports isn't a thing isn't true.
This is all from the POV of a person who just installs Ubuntu and expects it to work. So yes. I meant major releases of the distro and I assumed they weren't going to fuss with backports.
I figured modules that already exist in the kernel would be updated, but I've seen new modules added in later versions of the kernel. And since distro releases seem to stick with a specific kernel version, you would need to completely update your distro to get that support.
Genuinely curious since I haven't used Debian-based distros in a while, I always thought new modules are installed via the l
inux-kernel
package. Are kernel modules installed separately?