elementary OS Luna (based on ubuntu 12.04) uses linux kernel 3.2 by default, and there seems to be arguments both for and against updating the kernel.
kernel 3.15 is now released, should I upgrade to it for the hardware and security implementations since 3.2, or should I stick with 3.2 until Isis (ubuntu 14.04) is released later this year?
Also I have a problem with my display brightness - I cant change it no matter what I do. I have edited the config files as shown in the forums, and that has made my Fn keys work, and the OSD shows the brightness adjusting, but the screen stays on max brightness all the time.
The Laptop is an ACER ASPIRE E1-531 - with an intel 1005m cpu (1.9 dual core and hd3000)
If you're impatient, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try, as long as you take proper precautions. Make sure you keep the old kernel around in case something breaks and you need to go back.
The chances that something will break are pretty high, especially since Elementary makes all of its own software. If you use "alternative" standard/up-to-date software, you should be able to update well enough, though you also need to make sure that you can update applications alongside the kernel or find a repository that you can use that doesn't break your everything.
As for the brightness issue, a lot of laptops seem to have this problem - a popular / general solution seems to be to edit the file /etc/default/grub of the line:
and then typing 'sudo update-grub' into the terminal. I had this problem on my Lenovo laptop and there was a thread for Acer laptops too - I don't know if yours is in there explicitly, but there are more examples to try there.
thanks for that! That fix worked with no issues at all.
I think that I will stick with the 3.2 kernel for now, if it ain't broke don't fix it comes to mind, especially as you pointed out they use a lot of custom software.