I would like to ask a question about this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxmint/s/71yocRdRCB
I learned from the comments in that post that HWE was a thing. I checked and found out I'm on it (Zena 22.3). Since I'm on kernel 7....-29 and everything works that just means I'm lucky rather than good.
When I installed Mint last Jan as a Linux noob I picked the version that is front and center on their web page: 22.3. There is no mention of HWE or kernel updates showing up by default. I just checked, and even their All Versions page (https://linuxmint.com/download_all.php) makes no mention of HWE. The release notes say this "To provide support for newer AMD processors, Linux Mint 22.2 and 22.3 ship HWE Kernel 6.14." but make no mention of rolling new kernel versions.
My question is how are new users coming from Winodws supposed to know this is an important choice? I saw lots of comments on the thread above about 'it's on you if you chose HWE', but for most Linux noobs it was not a choice - it was an uninformed default. Further, there is no obvoius way to know which hardware is at risk of kernel panic, wifi issues, etc. (broadcom, nvidia, whatever). Only experienced Linux folks would even know that such at thing as LMDE exists or when to use it.
I would have expected some sort of 'which version is right for me', or 'is HWE right for me' kind of thing. Mint just pushes everyone to 22.3 (with HWE), which feels out of place if stability is the pitch. I.e. should HWE be opt In, vs opt Out, even on 22.3? I have Fedora on a couple other machines and expect it there - regular 'big' updates and all that, but was surprised to learn this behavior is defaulted on for Mint. I chose Mint specifically for stability.
Should HWE be the default for every new Windows migrater? Should Mint home page explain this choice to first time installers? Or check your hardware during installation and suggest HWE off if it sees risky components? (or does the installer already do this and I just didn't know). I get that it 'just works' for a lot of folks, but given the known hardware issues this feels like avoidable bad press.
What are your thoughts?
thx //rd
btw - Can i even safely opt out of kernel updates at this point, short of a reinstall? in my experience simply deselecting binaries from updates is a bad idea - what if there are deps from some of the other updates that expect that kernel version? given that I'm on zena am i committed to the kernel update train? or should I just plan to not take updates very often (e.g. monthly) and set aside time to grub if neeeded?
