Re: Referring what kernel-images to build to the technical committee?
Good summary, Sam. I'd like to add a couple extra points:
On 25-Apr-01, 19:30 (CDT), Sam Hartman <hartmans@debian.org> wrote:
> Should build custom: Some argumed that users should build a custom
> kernel and the distribution was doing them a disservice by trying to
> provide kernels that met their needs.
There was also a slightly different argument: That *if* the user needs
the slight performance improvement offered by a CPU optimized kernel,
then *probably* that user is both capable of building his/her own, *and*
would gain further (and possibly more significant) performance benefits
by many other choices one could make when configuring a kernel (module
vs. non-module, etc.)
Confusion: Adding 8 (or whatever it is) variations of each kernel
version is going to make it harder to select the appropriate one. There
is some fraction of the target audience who won't know what kind of CPU
they have, and we don't want to have to add to the Debian installation
instructions:
"Now open your computer's case, and locate the large chip with fans
hanging off of it. Write down the numbers and letters on top of the
chip. Now look them up in this table to determine the best kernel
for your machine."
How larget that fraction is I don't know, but I'd wager it was larger
than 0.
> Archive Size:
> CD Size:
> Bandwith:
> Module Multiplication, size, bandwidth:
Someone (sorry, forget who) proposed that instead of actually
distributing a lot of different "stock" kernels, we distribute some sort
"kernel-tuner" package that included the various config files and made
it easy for a user to build a custom kernel that matched the Debian
stock kernel except for CPU specificity (and one could extend this to
a matrix of CPU/AGP/DRI choices). Perhaps it could present a menu of
choices ("pick the things you have") and then select (or generate) the
appropriate config file, use make-kpkg to build the new kernel, and then
install the new kernel.deb. Yes, it would take longer, but it doesn't
have any of the negative impacts on the archive, and it starts the user
on the path to custom kernel competency.
Steve
--
Steve Greenland <stevegr@debian.org>
(Please do not CC me on mail sent to this list; I subscribe to and read
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