What is "linux-tools" package? Is it needed for "average" desktop user?

What exactly is "linux-tools" set of packages?

It is released with every kernel version, but (from what I can see) it contains only a few diagnostic utilities (cpupower, pref, turbostat, x86_energy_perf_policy) and is not required by any other package. These are all command line tools, they seem to deal with CPU settings, and I saw the functionality duplicated in some other graphical programs or widgets.

So... are they really needed by a non-technical, console-avoiding user?

Solution 1:

The linux-tools package contained three optional utilities: a utility for sharing USB devices over network connections, KBuild infrastructure components, and performance analysis tools. (In more recent versions of Ubuntu the tools seem to have moved to the linux-tools-generic package.)

No, you don't generally need them, and you probably don't want them. The utilities were separated into a different package because they are not DIRECTLY used by many folks, and not essential to the operation of most systems.

On the other hand, on the laptop I am using right now I DO have the linux-tools packages installed because they are a suggested package used by the TLP utility, which I installed to manage power and battery issues. If you are running a system with a different energy management package it might also install the linux-tools package to operate.