Comment # 16 on bug 908454 from Volker Kuhlmann

Using file may not be so simple:

# file /boot/zImage-3.19.3-1-default
/boot/zImage-3.19.3-1-default: Linux kernel ARM boot executable zImage
(little-endian)
# file -v
file-5.19

Perhaps that was the reason for the existence of get_kernel_version.
Any reason not to use just the file name (or link name, don't de-reference), as
Ludwig suggested?