If you use Ubuntu Focal (20.04) then you may want to read this:

[KGIII]

This came up in the Lubuntu meeting today and then they wrote up this draft which may interest you:

[SOLVED] Focal and 5.8 HWE kernel woes

NOTE: This issue looks to be solved. Please follow links to this Ubuntu Discourse post Background There are normally two kernel tracks with LTS releases: The GA (General Availability) track (linux-generic) which should be supported throughout the lifecycle of the release. The HWE (Hard Ware...

discourse.lubuntu.me

It really only matters if you're using 20.04 Ubuntu desktop, currently. Some flavors may push the HWE stack and it may matter for you as well.

 

[Deleted member 101831]

Another reason to stay with a real LTS kernel instead of the HWE short term kernel.

No worries on my end.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[jglen490]

Timing is everything. I agree that the HWE stack isn't a good idea until much later in the LTS cycle. When I installed Kubuntu 20.04.1 LTS on my desktop unit, the 5.4 kernel was installed and I left it at that level. All was well and worked perfectly.

In using the previous Kubuntu 18.04 LTS version, I needed to rebuild the desktop machine as the MB decided to go on strike one day. So I built up a new system, and at the time I downloaded 18.04.4 since that was current. That .iso installed the HWE stack. I was a bit surprised at the time, but it worked well because the entire package was built in coordination with the HWE kernel.

I have found that going to a kernel set that is not balanced with rest of the software CAN result in some instability. Not always, and sometimes you won't even notice much of a problem - UNLESS you really push your adventurous spirit and install a kernel that's way beyond the rest of your installation. Yes, sometimes an "upstream" kernel is marketed to correct certain issues and be otherwise "cool" and "trendy". But that does not mean the system as a whole will be good. And when it isn't, users complain and blame Linux for being crappy.

The HWE kernel track is not always the best choice. Having a later kernel does not guarantee stability, and frequently contributes to instability.