Re: Bug#2063: scsi driver sequence unreasonable

[Raul Miller <rdm@tad.micro.umn.edu>]

Simon Shapiro:
   How many people never compile their kernel and why?

I generally try and use a debian kernel image until I have a specific
reason not to.  Then, I generally try to use the debian source until I
have a specific reason not to.  Then, I generally try to use one of
Linus's snap shots until I have a specific reason not to.  Then, I try
to work with generally distributed patches until I have a specific
reason not to.  Then, I try and make clean changes to the source (and
report back to the code maintainers what I've done).  I've never had
to progress beyond that stage (which would involve a major re-write of
some kernel code).

When convenient (e.g. when it looks like someone else has fixed a
problem which I consider significant), I try to migrate back to a more
generic kernel.

Unfortunately, there still exist kernel problems which I have to work
around by carefully avoiding certain classes of operations.  People
with a different hardware configuration and different operational
constraints might be able to live with a completely stock kernel.

By the way, note that there can be problems with both xconfig and
config with 1.3.51.  (make xconfig didn't appear to offer some network
options I needed, make config somehow left me with an empty .config
file -- I had to recover a previous version of .config, edit it
manually and make oldconfig).  Not everyone wants to spend the time
necessary to deal with these kinds of issues.

-- 
Raul