The kernel is an important part of every Linux system. The Linux kernel releases a new version approximately every 3 months and brings in a large number of changes with each release. There are a variety of choices distributions can make for kernels, from choosing a single kernel version to support for many years to updating to the newest version as soon as it comes out. This talk is designed to give an overview of what goes in to choosing a kernel for a distribution. Topics will include how the kernel development process works, how that can drive decisions about what kernel version to use, and how users can influence the kernel process.