Just days after opening the Debian-based TUXEDO OS to public testing, TUXEDO Computers shared more details about a key part of its new distribution: how it will maintain the Linux kernel going forward.
As we recently reported, the next generation of TUXEDO OS is moving away from Ubuntu and adopting Debian Testing as its permanent base. TUXEDO refers to the model as “Continuous Debian,” meaning the distribution will continue tracking Testing rather than eventually settling on Debian 14 “Forky” once it becomes stable.
Now, TUXEDO has explained the kernel strategy. The company says future linux-tuxedo kernels will be based on the kernel version in Debian Testing, which generally follows the latest upstream stable Linux release with a short delay.
On top of that Debian kernel base, TUXEDO will apply a small number of its own patches and configuration changes aimed primarily at improving hardware compatibility and performance on its systems.
According to the company, the current difference is modest. Its kernel modifications consist of three bug-fix patches and five changes to the kernel configuration to improve performance.
The three patches address specific hardware-related issues. One fixes backlight problems affecting some TUXEDO notebooks, another prevents a rare hard reset on Intel-based InfinityBook Pro Gen8 systems, while the third addresses negative V-Blank values in the Intel i915 graphics driver.
Importantly, the company is not planning to fold all of its hardware drivers directly into the kernel. The existing tuxedo-drivers package will remain a separate DKMS package for now, although TUXEDO expects parts of it to make their way upstream into the mainline Linux kernel over time.
Moreover, the move to Debian Testing also changes how quickly TUXEDO can adopt newer kernel releases. Under the previous Ubuntu-based model, the distribution relied on HWE kernels that arrived roughly every six months. With Debian Testing, TUXEDO now gets a continuously updated kernel foundation and can add its own fixes on top as needed.
Additionally, TUXEDO plans to offer a second kernel option for users who value a more conservative update path. Alongside the regular linux-tuxedo package, the new Debian-based TUXEDO OS will provide linux-tuxedo-lts, based on a Linux kernel release with long-term support.
For additional details, see TUXEDO’s announcement.
