I read today on Phoronix that there is a 200 line patch to the Linux Kernel which dramatically improves desktop responsiveness.
How can Ubuntu users get this in a way that's supported?
Ubuntu – How do we get this magic performance-boosting 200 line patch
kernelpatchperformance
Best Answer
Discussion regarding this specific patch took place on the Ubuntu kernel-team mailing list:
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kernel-team/2010-November/013498.html
But let me try to elaborate even more generically about the best way for any patch to make its way into the Ubuntu kernel...
First, it's the preferred policy of the Ubuntu Kernel Team that patches be submitted and accepted upstream before being pulled into the Ubuntu kernel. It's a large maintenance burden on the Ubuntu Kernel Team to have to maintain out of tree patches. Additionally, if the patch will benefit the entire Kernel Community, it should go upstream first.
Once the patch has been accepted upstream, it will eventually make its way into the Ubuntu kernel automatically. A cherry-pick or pull request could also be made if one so desired, see the page, KernelPatches, for more information.
If the patch needs to be applied as an SRU (stable release update) to a previous Ubuntu release it's best to get the patch accepted into the corresponding upstream stable 2.6.x.y tree. As a part of our normal kernel SRU process, we continually rebase to the latest upstream stable kernel. Thus we would again eventually get the patch automatically.