# [SOLVED - Dumb Question] Gentoo Kernel vs Linux Kernel

## Jon Wilder

Yes I know Gentoo is Linux and uses the Linux kernel. My question though is...what differences, if any, exist between the Gentoo kernel you get when you emerge gentoo-sources and the Linux kernel you can download from Kernel.org?Last edited by Jon Wilder on Sat Aug 15, 2015 3:50 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## genoobish

 *Jon Wilder wrote:*   

> Yes I know Gentoo is Linux and uses the Linux kernel. My question though is...what differences, if any, exist between the Gentoo kernel you get when you emerge gentoo-sources and the Linux kernel you can download from Kernel.org?

 

you could also `emerge vanilla-sources`  to get the vanilla kernel.   :Wink: 

I can't answer your question though...

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## Jon Wilder

Thanks. After your response I realized it was a dumb question. I didn't realize that the Kernel.org kernels are the "vanilla" kernels I kept hearing about. Had I had realized that I could've searched the vanilla kernel vs Gentoo kernel and found my answer.

So...belay my last.

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## Tony0945

I think it's a good question.  http://dev.gentoo.org/~mpagano/genpatches/about.htm  Is a start but rather vague. I'd like to know more detail, too.

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## Roman_Gruber

Vanilla kernel => kernel.org

gentoo sources => vanilla kernel + gentoo pathces => check the contents of the ebuild.

 *Quote:*   

> Enabling Gentoo Linux common settings
> 
> There is a kernel configuration option called CONFIG_GENTOO_LINUX only present in sys-kernel/gentoo-sources and other Kernel Project maintained kernels. It does nothing on its own, but sets various required configuration options for typical installations.
> 
> This setting automatically selects tmpfs and devtmpfs support, which are needed for handling /dev on Gentoo Linux, but might be expanded in the future to enable other mandatory settings for a Gentoo Linux system. For more information, read the help information available through the kernel configuration system as described earlier in this guide. 

 https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Kernel/Configuration

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## Tony0945

But gentoo-sources were distinct from vanilla-sources long before that recent configuration item.

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## Roman_Gruber

every distro so far had its own patches for their kernel sources, so what  :Razz: 

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## Tony0945

 *tw04l124 wrote:*   

> every distro so far had its own patches for their kernel sources, so what 

 

I just wondered with Jon Wilder, what the specifics of those changes were. I have also run vanilla-sources and really saw no difference in operation.

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