Pop!_OS user? You can now upgrade to Linux kernel 6.8, which has begun rolling out as a regular package update.
Although the latest version of Pop!_OS is based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, which currently tops out at Linux 6.5, back ported as a HWE from Ubuntu 23.10, the distros maker, System76, like to bring newer versions of the Linux kernel to its users, more often than Ubuntu does.
The ability to upgrade to new Linux kernel releases within a month or two of their release is a key point of difference to Ubuntu and ensures those using Pop!_OS are able to benefit from the latest kernel features and hardware support.
Now, Pop!_OS offers the latest stable kernel release, Linux 6.8. This is a notable uplift given the distro’s developers weren’t able — regressions go grr — to get Linux 6.7 up n’ out to their users.
Thankfully, those roadblocks got resolved in the latest update, thus Pop!_OS fans not only benefit from the changes in 6.8 but those introduced in Linux 6.7, which includes support for NVIDIA GSP, Intel Meteor Lake graphics, and DP Alt Mode 2.1 in the USB Type-C driver.
If you run Pop!_OS 22.04 you just pop open the Pop Shop app to run an update check then download and install the latest Linux kernel release (along with any other updates you’ve put off installing).