In their latest release notes, PCLinuxOS claims that Linux kernel 3.2 has superior desktop performance. Kernel 3.2 was also the choice of the latest Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). Other distros place emphasis on using the very latest kernel available, such as the mainstream versions of Linux Mint, OpenSuse, Fedora, and Ubuntu.
I prefer using the latest kernel, because in my experience with computers, newer is almost always better. The only exception might be Microsoft Windows, which seems to only have gotten worse after their masterpiece, Windows XP.
The latest kernels may have reduced desktop performance by ten percent, but might that not be offset by gains in drivers? I don't know, because other than the neat summaries published by bloggers, I'm at a loss. I can't make heads or tails of the terse and arcane kernel release notes, which often quote code directly, meaning one would have to study the underlying code to determine the benefit (or cost) of all the various changes.
Perhaps it is true that kernel developers favor servers over desktops, and the latest kernels are not optimal for desktops, but if one wishes to use fairly recent hardware, then one must adopt a recent kernel sooner or later. My assumption is that new kernels offer better and more comprehensive support for all kinds of hardware.
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