Re: Device detection?

[Rob Browning <rlb@cs.utexas.edu>]

Brandon Mitchell <bmitch@atdot.org> writes:

> But how do you auto detect a device that locks up your system when
> you probe for it?  This is the reason for windows throwing you into
> safe mode, no auto detection because you probably crashed from a
> misguided auto detect.  I prefer linux's way of telling the kernel
> what you have.  But, I guess someone could make a package that just
> mod-probes the heck out of your system with every option until you
> crash or the modprobe succeeds.

Auto-detection is can be really nice for the average user (when their
system will support it)[1].  It might be a shame to have to completely
drop auto-detection forever just because it might hang some systems.
I could see two ways around this.  First, we could use the windows way
which is just to probe and checkpoint so that if something goes wrong,
the user can reboot and you know to skip that test.  The other would
be to just ask the user at the start:

  "Would you like us to try autodetecting your hardware?  On older
  systems, and with some devices, this could lock up your machine, but
  autodetection, if it works, will save you some hassle.  You can
  always say yes, and if it fails, reboot and say no next time we ask
  this question..."

or something like that.

[1] However, even if auto-configuration becomes well-supported I do
not think we should ever stop supporting manual configuration.  There
are always times when the user knows best...

-- 
Rob Browning <rlb@cs.utexas.edu> PGP=E80E0D04F521A094 532B97F5D64E3930