A few months ago I wrote an article about 6 different kernel types. The normal one, the one used by most distributions, is simply called “linux”, but there is a Real Time (-rt) one that has low latency and is better for use in some sound programs, for example, and a Hardened one with extra security layers. They all make sense, but today we are going to talk a little more about linux zen, a kernel that, on paper, all it offers are windows.
The description we find in the Arch Linux Wiki defines it as "the result of a collaborative effort of kernel hackers to provide the best possible Linux kernel for everyday systems«. A hacker-improved kernel that makes the operating system work better? Oh. Why, if it looks so good, don't we see it in the most popular distributions? There are reasons for everything, and the Linux user knows perfectly well that It doesn't rain to everyone's liking or everywhere equally.
Linux Zen, the best for the desktop...
... if it works for you. Linux Zen offers the good of RT or real time, and also makes it more efficient and, why not say it, powerful. It is what Garuda Linux uses by default, and on its website is described as «a faster and more responsive kernel optimized for desktop, multimedia and gaming“, and ends the sentence with the same thing we read on the Arch Linux Wiki. And neither of them lies; it is so.
But it is something that must be tried and verified. The original Linux, the one of a lifetime, the one created by Linus Torvalds, is designed with most scenarios in mind and ready to work on all types of hardware. Linux Zen too, the base is the same, but the modifications that hackers have made may not sit equally well with all teams.
Another point to take into account is what Garuda says, specifically that part where it mentions "optimized for the desktop". Let's take an example, that of Canonical: the company that Mark Shuttleworth runs is already behind 11 flavors, but it is directly in charge of Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu Server and Ubuntu for boards like the Raspberry Pi. Although things may change at some point, Linux Zen is especially designed for x86_64 architecture, and if Canonical decided to use this kernel on Ubuntu Desktop, it would have to use different kernels for its different options. By using Linus's Linux, and then maintaining it, you don't have to waste time and resources.
Should I use Zen in my distribution?
Whoever reads me regularly will know that I don't like to lie or recommend big changes if something is going well for us. Therefore, many of my responses to yes/no questions are I respond with "it depends". The first thing I would consider is: does my distribution offer that option? If not, perhaps it is worth not doing those experiments that have always been said to be done with soda. Although we can also prove that each one owns what he uses and decides whether to take risks and the size of them.
If the distro we use offers the option of using Linux Zen, and we want improve performance in games, multimedia applications or improve autonomy, something it can also do, I think it's worth trying to see how it behaves on our computer. It goes without saying that before making these types of movements it is necessary to make a backup copy of all our important documents. But usually the worst that can happen is that it won't boot, at which point we have to reboot, go into the boot options, choose the normal kernel and boot from it.
In the event that it is not offered by any official means, you would have to do the manual installation. The project website is this.