Re: [RFC] Simplifying kernel configuration for distro issues
- To: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
- Cc: Greg Kroah-Hartman <greg@kroah.com>, Ubuntu Kernel Team <kernel-team@lists.ubuntu.com>, Debian Kernel Team <debian-kernel@lists.debian.org>, OpenSUSE Kernel Team <opensuse-kernel@opensuse.org>, Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>, Fedora Kernel Team <kernel-team@fedoraproject.org>
- Subject: Re: [RFC] Simplifying kernel configuration for distro issues
- From: Dave Jones <davej@redhat.com>
- Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:02:40 -0400
- Message-id: <[🔎] 20120713210240.GG1707@redhat.com>
- Mail-followup-to: Dave Jones <davej@redhat.com>, Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>, Greg Kroah-Hartman <greg@kroah.com>, Ubuntu Kernel Team <kernel-team@lists.ubuntu.com>, Debian Kernel Team <debian-kernel@lists.debian.org>, OpenSUSE Kernel Team <opensuse-kernel@opensuse.org>, Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>, Fedora Kernel Team <kernel-team@fedoraproject.org>
- In-reply-to: <[🔎] CA+55aFxw8pY1KMjobp=dKJd+g4B9KGhe4+fsfSPA3ofCGVhkPQ@mail.gmail.com>
- References: <[🔎] CA+55aFxw8pY1KMjobp=dKJd+g4B9KGhe4+fsfSPA3ofCGVhkPQ@mail.gmail.com>
On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 01:37:41PM -0700, Linus Torvalds wrote:
> The point I'm slowly getting to is that I would actually love to have
> *distro* Kconfig-files, where the distribution would be able to say
> "These are the minimums I *require* to work".
As long as you don't mind these being added after the fact, I suppose
it would be workable. The reason I say that is sometimes, it even catches *us*
by surprise. We recently found out our virtualisation guys started
using sch_htb for example, and we inadvertantly broke it when we moved
its module to a 'not always installed' kernel subpackage. (and before that, 9PFS..)
People don't tell us anything, but somehow expect things to keep working.
> In addition to the "minimal distro settings", we might also have a few
> "common platform" settings, so that you could basically do a "hey, I
> have a modern PC laptop, make it pick the obvious stuff that a normal
> person needs, like USB storage, FAT/VFAT support, the core power
> management etc".
I wish defconfig was actually something useful like this, instead of..
what the hell is it exactly ? No-one even seems to agree, other than
"random selection of options, many of which were removed n years ago"
Dave
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