Re: should we really avoid the 686 kernel image?
[Holger Levsen]
>> Can you tell us why it is on the avoid list?
>
> No.
Well, lets begin by exploring why it the 686 kernel is on the avoid
list, then. :)
It is on the avoid list because each kernel included in the DVD uses
around 25-30 MB on the DVD. That space can be used to include a lot
of the packages we want to have included on the DVD. We have to have
the 486 kernel to get LTSP working, and we have to have the amd64
kernel to get 64-bit installation working. As having an extra kernel
that was not absolutely needed pushed out several of the packages we
want to install automatically during installation which made the DVD
kind of useless by not being self contained, I decided the packages we
wanted to install had higher priorty than a redundant kernel.
The question is thus really a question of priority, and if we give
higher priority to the packages being pushed out of the DVD if we
include three instead of two kernels.
> Installing the 486 kernel makes it harder for the majority, as they
> will need to install the 686 kernel manually. Installing the 486
> kernel makes it easier for those few people still using hardware
> from the last millenium.
Sure. But that is not really the cause nor the consequence of
dropping vs. keeping the 686 kernel.
Btw, dropping this kernel should only affect the DVD (and not the
netinst CD), as the netinst installation will fetch the 686 kernel
from the net for machines where it is the best fit. If we want to
throw out more of the packages on the netinst CD, we can even add the
686 kernel to the netinst CD, as it do not really affect the
installation much. The same set of packages will be installed anyway,
and instead of downloading the kernel some other packages of
approximatly the same size will have to be downloaded instead.
Happy hacking,
--
Petter Reinholdtsen
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