What kernel do you use?

I would like this option if possible as that seems the most convenient! Unless there’s any downside against any option like that I may not be currently thinking or aware of of course

Another option is to use a command line tool, namely: grub-set-default

see:

man grub-set-default
grub-set-default --help

for more info.

Also:
https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/legacy/Invoking-grub_002dset_002ddefault.html

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Yeah - that’s the most flexible I suspect. Again, going by ‘old’ memories, there is a line ordering the choice to the saved, and another line to use the last-saved as your next choice. Just take a good look in that file, and see what the choices are - then backup the current state of the file, then edit as you wish to try it out…

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Go into your etc/defailt/grub and uncomment this:

# Uncomment to make GRUB remember the last selection. This requires
# setting 'GRUB_DEFAULT=saved' above.
GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true
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https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GRUB/Tips_and_tricks

Warning: do not use grub customizer.

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Currently trying out linux-cacule-generic_v3

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I use LTS as my default because I like a fairly stable system. And have the current kernel as a backup. Or should I change ?

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Unless you need/want some feature from the newer kernel(for example, your hardware isn’t supported by the older kernel) or you enjoy testing new kernels, I don’t see a reason to switch from the LTS kernel if you prefer stability.

The problem with non-LTS kernels is that by the time they get fully stable on a wide variety of hardware they are EOL. The lifecycle for those kernels is very short.

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Yeah, my hardware is not that new except for RAM. Using a Intel 6th CPU (i5 6500 I think) with 40 Gb of ram on a Z170M-Plus Asus board.

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Usually Zen, sometimes LTS if I need to.

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I’ll just expand on everyone that’s attempted to answer this and give the full and correct way to achieve having the last used kernel be selected upon boot since there is a little bit of confusion and I’ve just tested the following myself that works.

So, if you want to enable the grub so that on boot it selects by default whichever kernel you last used, then please follow these commands:

EDIT: Use the following if your file-system is ext4, if you use btrfs, DO NOT use the following as it is unsupported.

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

You have to change two values here. First at the very top look for:

GRUB_DEFAULT=0

And change the value from a 0 to “saved” without the quotes like the following:

GRUB_DEFAULT=saved

Next value to change, look for the following (it’ll be towards the very bottom):

# Uncomment to make GRUB remember the last selection. This requires
# setting 'GRUB_DEFAULT=saved' above.
#GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true

Here, get rid of (aka delete) the # before GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true
So it looks like the following:

# Uncomment to make GRUB remember the last selection. This requires
# setting 'GRUB_DEFAULT=saved' above.
GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true

Now you may hit Ctrl+X, then type Y (for yes) and hit enter to save the file.
Next you have to ‘reload’ grub with the new vaules, so for that use the following:

sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Once you’ve done that, reboot, select a different kernel that you don’t normally boot from, login real quick, and do another reboot to check to see if the kernel you previously selected is saved from the last boot and then you should be all good to go! Like I said I just tested this and it works, just be mindful and careful to type those values in correctly. Hope this helps anyone that wanted this like I did :wink:

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Just be aware that GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT isn’t supported on sparse filesystems so it needs to be disabled if you are using btrfs or certain other thinly provisioned filesystems.

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Thank you very much for the heads up, I was not aware of this; I’ve edited my post above to include this warning so hopefully no one ends up with any issues!

Woah! :exploding_head:

Why in the hell is this i wonder?
What does it have to do with filesystem at all…?

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Grubs get into everything. :wink:

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The short answer is that grubenv doesn’t support those filesystems. I have never looked into why that is so I can’t give you the long answer :cowboy_hat_face:

Here is what the btrfs faq says:

grubenv write support (used to track failed boot entries) is lacking, Grub needs btrfs to support a reserved area.

I have work around I make pretty heavy use of. I call it “Don’t use grub” :innocent:

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And if you’re on systemd-boot (which you probably aren’t), you gotta edit the loader/loader.conf file in your EFI system partition (usually mounted at /efi, /boot or /boot/efi) according to this manual.

TL:DR

Everyone uses a different kernel. Except the elite - we use LTS. Because LTS means LessTimeStranded, and we ain’t got time for that cause we’re too busy being powerusers y0.

Special mention for zen. Mostly because I like the name, and it fits with my lifestyle - which is mostly chaos and alcoholism.

Not with me. I Acelepryn and Merit the shit out of those little bastards. Always heavy rates, water in.

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  1. zen
  2. default

I have been using zen since enabling it in akm, because I am a tinkerer and like to try and break things, so I can learn from it.
It’s all a big experiment for me anyway, and my data is safely tucked away in multiple locations. So I thought what can go wrong?

I looked at Liquorix and it seems to be a Debian kernel with cutting edge tweaks for power users and gamers s (neither of which I am), so let’s see how my trusty 2016 laptop handles a cutting edge kernel. SO far, so good.

But on reading the wiser heads here, it looks like I may be better off with LTS, so if there is no downside I may check the LTS box. I will give it a go.

It’s reviving an old post, so maybe there is some more recent thoughts on Zen.

Does it sound like a plan?

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You should use whatever kernel fits your goals. Most people value stability - which is why many of us use the LTS. To figure out which kernel is for you - as always check out the fineeeee manual.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Kernel

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