when is it necessary to update the kernel?
 

when is it necessary to update the kernel?
do we really need to update it?
but when?

i have another question....
for example.... there is a new kernel release called "kernel version 4"
im using "kernel version 1"
do i need to update my kernel from version 1 to version 2....
then version 2 to version 3.....
then version 3 to version 4?

how does the kernel affect the system / system performance?
thank you

so far, the kernel version is 2.4.x for stable and 2.5.x for dev.

usually, you compile the kernel after install so you only get what you need. After that, a update is usually unecessary unless the current kernel has problems with your hardware, or the new version has something you would like to try (or can't live w/o). If nothing of the sort comes to mind, its prolly not worth the effort

if your using patches, you have to do each in order, less to download that way. if you d/l the full source, you can jump to any version you want

If you're new, don't bother with recompiling the kernel. It's generally not necessary, and it's easier to have it upgraded when you upgrade your distro.

hmmmm
if i plan to download a linux kernel..
what is the average size of the kernels? (in Mb)

The full download for 2.4.20 will run 26MB for the .bz2 and 33MB for the .gz . The different filetypes are just different compression schemes. Modern distros are usually set up to be able to uncompress either.