Popping kernels for Linux distributions

Packagers in Linux distributions do a lot to ensure the software you use is up to date, integrated in the platform, and most importantly: works! But one package stands out among the others in importance: the Linux kernel. Over the past few years, I've become a Linux kernel package maintainer for a couple of Linux distributions (notably Fedora Asahi Remix and CentOS Stream Hyperscale). This talk will share my experiences in becoming and being a Linux kernel package maintainer: the good, the bad, and the sometimes ugly.

This will be centered around two very distinct types of kernel packages: one where the kernel is mostly upstream and low patching (CentOS Stream Hyperscale) and one where the kernel has a significant downstream patch load (Fedora Asahi Remix). The compare and contrast will demonstrate why Linux distributions make the choices they do around package maintainence and concretely show why philosphies like "upstream first" and similar matter.