soooo kernels... how do THEY work? what exactly do they change

[rckstrgil]

Why should I download a new kernel. How do they make the phone better. What are the risks

 

[project.in.process]

if your phone's a car, think of the kernel as the driver. it controls the power sent to different aspects of the phone which will then affect performance, battery life & overall feeling of the phone. it'll also allow you to overclock/underclock your device.
kernels can be customized by the developer to only allow certain processes to consume X amt of battery--thereby extending your battery life at the expense of screen brightness or refresh. it can also be used to control extraneous processes from running.
as with any mod--be careful which kernel you apply. it can seriously damage the hardware if the kernel isn't made to interact with your device.
if some bit of hardware requires constant X power/processing consumption but the kernel only allows 1/2X power/processing consumption, then it's gonna put a strain on multiple components and ultimately dmage your phone to the point of you cursing the Androidgods.

i've left out a bunch--this explanation is just something easy to remember.

different kernels allow/won't allow certain applications to run--or will not interact nicely with them (wireless tether on some kernels), so be careful which one you choose to apply.

 

[w00tw00twhat]

Make sure you do proper research on what kernel will work with your rom of choice. I believe I've read someone flashing a version of imoseyon leankernel and it through there device in an endless boot loop. So as stated above be cautious as to what kernel your applying to your phone.

 

[mcowger]

To be brutally honest (I'm not trying to be an ass here), but if you dont understand what a kernel is/does, the chances are 99.9% that you dont need an alternate kernel and you should just stick with whatever kernel is included with your ROM (stock or not).

 

[drmanhattan57]

Hey bro if that were the case then everyone flashing kernels would Be born with inate knowledge of kernel functionality and Linnux for that matter. Just do your homework, ask questions and you will be fine

Sent from my ThunderBolt using Tapatalk

 

[zero neck]

i think he meant read first