Re: kernel-{image,headers} package bloat
On 18 Apr 01 01:05:09 GMT, Craig Sanders <cas@taz.net.au> wrote:
> i guess that your next argument will be that it's important to cater for
> people who aren't capable of following simple instructions for building
> their own kernel (kernel-package makes it trivially easy to compile and
> install a new kernel).
I'd agree with that argument (and kernel-package makes it "trivially
easy" only in comparison to the old way). I volunteer my time helping
to build Debian boxes for naive users (I believe you are familiar with
our organisation ;-)). The thought of having to teach the people who
receive these boxes how to build a kernel, even the excellent Debian
way, fills me with horror. And life's just too short to consider
building a custom kernel ourselves for every box that goes out the
door.
Instead we install a fairly generic kernel based on the -compact
kernels from potato (only somewhat more compact). This works just fine
on the machines we build, and I use one almost every day. Which reminds
me, it's well past the time for me to build the 2.2.19 packages...
I will say I'm puzzled by the idea of optimising x86 kernel packages
for processor type rather than the old division into "kitchen sink",
-compact, -ide and -idepci. I was always given to understand that
optimising for a processor gained relatively little, and was just the
sort of thing a power user trying to wring out the last few % of
performance could be expected to do for themselves.
Frank
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