I'm new to Linux and am running FC6. One of the most attractive aspects of Linux is the frequency of updates and security fixes because it's open source. However, after using Linux for a little while now, I've found that it becomes hard to keep up with the updates.

For example, at least two kernel updates have been released since I installed. Naturally, I download them using the package manager as soon as possible. I like feeling as if I'm as up-to-date as possible I suppose. The problem is (and I may be wrong on this - correct me if so) that after updating the kernel, don't most drivers need to be reinstalled as well? After the first kernel update, mplayer and GoogleEarth quit working for me. I was told I would need to reinstall my Nvidia drivers after updating kernels. I did, but apparently now GoogleEarth and mplayer both also need to be reinstalled as well since the kernel or drivers beneath them changed. Granted, using the package manager makes this not as bad as it could be, but I still feel it's way too cumbersome to have to reinstall things above the kernel one layer at a time (drivers, then apps that run on top of them, etc).

Am I understanding this completely wrong, or is this the normal process? Is there any way other than simply waiting to download/install updated kernels to make this less work?

I use Debian, but the upgrade issues should be more or less the same. When I update a kernel (something you should only rarely have to do as a casual user) there are only two packages that need to be reinstalled: madwifi and nvidia. If you use ndiswrapper, then you'd probably have to redo that, too. I haven't had any problems with GoogleEarth or mplayer and I hack around on my kernel quite a bit. I periodically use the synaptic update to bring my system packages up-to-date. Never noticed that I had to do anything special after that to get thing back up and running.

In debian, you really don't have to update that often. I installed it and had updates taken care of in the first 2 days, I haven't had to install any since then. If I were you, if you want to install debian, download the netinst CD for Etch. If you have high speed internet, it works really well.