RFC: kernel packages cleanup
Hi,
below is a proposal for some cleanup of the kernel packages in unstable:
1. remove kernel 2.2 sources/images/patches
The last stable releases of Debian always supported two major kernel
releases, and supporting 2.4 and 2.6 seems to be sufficient for
Debian 3.1.
Is there any architecture that _really_ requires kernel 2.2 today?
2. remove most kernel 2.4 patches
Looking at Debian 3.0, the problem that new minor releases of the kernel
enter a stable Debian but not all kernel patches are updated for this
new kernel is obvious.
It should at least be possible to drop all kernel 2.4 patches that
aren't required for architecture support.
As an example, unstable contains a preempt patch for kernel 2.4.
People who want preemption can use kernel 2.6, and if someone for some
reason really wants preemption for kernel 2.4 he can always download the
patch from upstream (in case upstream still supports the patch - and a
dead upstream doesn't make maintaining a kernel patch for stable for
several years and many new kernel versions easier, too...).
I'm _not_ taking about packages like kernel-patch-2.4.25-ia64 that are
required to support an architecture.
If you think "But the majority of users uses kernel 2.4!", please
consider that it's there are still many months until the release of
Debian 3.1, and consider the low number of people who use kernel 2.2
today as a comparison.
3. reduce the number of 2.4 kernel versions
In unstable, there are currently kernel sources for six different 2.4
kernels (2.4.{19,20,21,22,24,25}). I'd like to see the number of such
packages reduced.
Please respond if you object to these suggestions.
I plan to send lists of packages I propose to remove in a few days.
cu
Adrian
--
"Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
"Only a promise," Lao Er said.
Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed
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