Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Tue, 15 Jan 2002 17:18:54 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Tue, 15 Jan 2002 17:17:32 -0500 Received: from shed.alex.org.uk ([195.224.53.219]:20906 "HELO shed.alex.org.uk") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id ; Tue, 15 Jan 2002 17:17:17 -0500 Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 22:17:13 -0000 From: Alex Bligh - linux-kernel Reply-To: Alex Bligh - linux-kernel To: Alan Cox , esr@thyrsus.com Cc: arjan@fenrus.demon.nl, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Alex Bligh - linux-kernel Subject: Re: Aunt Tillie builds a kernel (was Re: ISA hardware discovery -- the elegant solution) Message-ID: <195317834.1011133033@[195.224.237.69]> In-Reply-To: In-Reply-To: X-Mailer: Mulberry/2.1.0 (Win32) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org --On Monday, 14 January, 2002 9:15 PM +0000 Alan Cox wrote: >> "Crap." Melvin thinks. "I don't remember what kind of network card I >> compiled in. Am I going to have to open this puppy up just to eyeball >> the hardware?" Doing that would take time Melvin was planning to spend > > So he builds a kernel with modular setups just like the vendor kernel. & if this is the sole aim, just (configurably no doubt) stick .config somewhere in initramfs as part of the build process and you have no parsing to do whatsoever. For added contraversiality, optionally stick it (gzipped at source) inside some module that registers an entry into /proc. This means it only occupies its gzipped space in RAM. & yes I know this has been discussed before. However, I'd submit that recovering the previous .config file is the least of your problems. If I'm the only one who tries to beg/borrow/steal config fies form other machines I've built, the net at large, etc. etc., then tweak then, rather than mis-answer a seemingly endless sequence of questions, I'll eat hat. Besides if the user is clued up enough to go buy (for example) a GigE card, they will know it's possible they have to turn the option on in the driver, and making small incremental changes like that are relatively easy. What's hard is (for instance) when kernel builds with particular .config files hang hard on boot. Normally once you have something 'nearly working' tweaking it to suit your taste is relatively easy (as you change only one thing at a time). But my practice, and I'm sure I'm not alone, is to start off either with a config I've used elsewhere, or one someone else has developed for that machine (the latter being the only option for Aunt Tillie). [I then do a diff between what I used, and the other option, and start integrating changes - being able to show Aunt Tillie the difference between vendor options and ones 'for her machine' would doubtless be useful] -- Alex Bligh - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/