Opinion on other kernels?

Quick question: What are your experiences with the two “custom” kernels available for Arch? CK and Zen?

CK I didn’t try, but I ran zen for a while and the updates are simultaneous with the regular kernel and it works very well and is very stable. In the beginning, I had the feeling that it was snappier than the regular one, but the longer I used it I had the feeling it’s more or less a placebo effect. So I compared it with the regular one and there’s no real evidence that zen really is snappier and lightweight in a day to day experience.

I’m sure people who are into statistics will fight me for it, but this is my conclusion based on “feel” experience.

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I ran Zen last time I was on proper Arch for awhile and yeah. No real difference except shorter boot time. It seems to me a lot of the fixes are network related and we have very very good wifi so not really needed.

Edit: though I guess it looks cool on your neofetch screenshot when you try to get upvotes on r/unixporn :wink:

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@Beardedgeek72 I am currently running 3 kernels on Endeavour. I have the current Stable kernel, Zen and Lts installed. I boot into the Zen as it is listed first and then Lts and then the Stable current kernel. Like @Bryanpwo say’s i can’t see a significant difference in the Zen but it also works’s as well as the standard kernel. If it is quicker which i think it might prove out to be would have to be confirmed via testing. I would really like to see Michael Larabel at Phoronix test Endeavour first of all and give us some benchmarks both as a distro and also with zen. I think that again there is such a difference in hardware it would be solely based on the test specifications at the time. But, it would give you a general indication and it would be great publicity for Endeavour.

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I’m using Zen as the default kernel on my machine for a long time. When I first booted it it seemed to me the snappiness is simply astounding. Have no clue if it was placebo or not. In time I noticed some occasional freezes of the system, but can’t really tell if it’s some weird component or config of my system or the kernel.

I feel it’s as stable as the default kernel (again can’t tell if the freezes are due to the kernel). That being said, I think it’s perfectly safe to try it for yourself and form your own opinion.

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Just realized I am running Nvidia still. Looking to get a new laptop in 2 or 3 months with AMD. Might as well slum with “basics” for now :wink: