Kernel-desktop improvements

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hi, where can i find what are the improvements of the kernel-desktop, i want to install a custom kernel but if the performance of a custom vs desktop-kernel are equivalent i will install the oficial kernel.
The kernel-desktop page in software.opensuse.org is really short in detail, just mention “It is configured for lower latency” what this does mean translated to current best practices? and it remarks the desktop kernel supports Physical Addressing Extensions (PAE), an ancient technology that is not even worth to mention it, if that are the improvement i will be very disapointed, all recent kernels support pae by default, may be in 2000 it was something new and it does not improve anything from a laptop’s owner point of view.
Specifically im looking for:

  • default io scheduler: deadline, cfq, bfq, etc
  • cpu scheduler: cfq, MuQSS, etc
  • kernel preemption: Non-preemptive, Preemptive, Full, etc.

I dont care about network improvements like buffers, queues, tcp windows etc, this is not a heavy loaded DB server, im looking for a desktop oriented kernel, with most recommended features enabled by default, my main goal is responsiveness specially because i use gnome and is well known its slowness.
i.e. i have experimented 20% - 30% improvements just by enable bfq io scheduler, please dont tell me i can compile my own kernel with the settings i would like to have, of course i can but if there is an already compiled kernel why waste time reviewing a config file, compiling, installing it, reconfigure grub etc? Even more important I can forget or by pass something critical and break the system, its not a trivial task,I trust more the experts and developers who do this tasks for a living.
regards

2

There is no kernel-desktop in tumbleweed.

3

It is probably way out of date.

4

I looked at https://software.opensuse.org/package/kernel-desktop with the initial thought in mind to ask the admins to remove it as I see no current or even recent official kernel-desktop. The only non-obsolete “desktop” kernels for openSUSE are in a single home: user’s tree for LTS kernels 4.9 & 4.14, which should be returned in search, while the 3.3, 3.4 & 3.15 in official, head and devel should be expired away.

5

IIRC the kernel-desktop flavour was dropped in Leap 42.1 since the differences to the openSUSE -default setup were so minor that they did’t warrant another config, build etc.
Never had problems here running Gnome even on laptops with some 10 yrs of service. Of course you have better choose a lighter DE on mini-PCs, Atom equipped gear etc. but this is another story.
Anyway many kernel parameters may be changed at runtime if you really need them, feel free to open a thread to get help here.

6

Ok thanks, i think i will go with the safe bet, configuring what is already included in kernel-default like cfq io scheduler where a udev rule does activate it.