MX Linux Forum

delete

1. How-tos belong in Tips&Tricks. This forum is for help requests regarding software applications.
2. Suggesting that people add or permanently-enable extra repositories is extremely bad advice and will lead to problematic if not completely broken systems. I would advise everyone against following the advice you posted here. Besides, it's completely unnecessary. If anyone wants a newer kernel they're available in MX Package Installer, Popular Applications tab, Kernels subsection. Installing one this way will also cause all necessary headers and dkms packages to be installed such that everything will work correctly when you boot with the new kernel.
3. Older computers tend to work better with older kernels, so not everyone even needs the latest kernel, and installing the latest one can actually cause problems on some systems.

JayM wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:48 amSuggesting that people add or permanently-enable extra repositories is extremely bad advice and will lead to problematic if not completely broken systems. I would advise everyone against following the advice you posted here.

If the kernel metapackage from buster-backports is installed then the repositories should be left enabled so that the kernel version is kept updated — running an outdated kernel version is unwise. Leaving the backports repository enabled is not a risk because all the package from there have an APT pin value of 100 by default and so will only be upgraded to if they are explicitly installed from there using the --target option (as shown in the OP).

JayM wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:48 amIf anyone wants a newer kernel they're available in MX Package Installer, Popular Applications tab, Kernels subsection. Installing one this way will also cause all necessary headers and dkms packages to be installed such that everything will work correctly when you boot with the new kernel.

The only extra package that method installs is linux-kbuild-5.4.

With the mx-packageinstaller the linux-image-amd64 & linux-headers-amd64 metapackages are installed (to pull in the latest backported kernel version) and then removed afterwards, which is presumably done to avoid breaking the live system. IMO this is a bad decision by the MX developers, convenience should not be placed before security.

If users who need newer kernels value security over the conveniences provided by the MX live system then they should install the kernel & headers metapackages and leave the buster-backports repositories enabled.

JayM wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:48 amOlder computers tend to work better with older kernels, so not everyone even needs the latest kernel, and installing the latest one can actually cause problems on some systems.

+1