Messages in this thread |  | | Date | Fri, 14 Jun 96 00:50 +0200 | From | (Olaf Titz) |
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Newsgroups: linux.dev.kernel Path: not-for-mail From: Olaf Titz <olaf@bigred.inka.de> Subject: Re: Ideas for v2.1 Message-ID: <dsynge.z3@bigred.inka.de> Date: 14 Jun 1996 00:50:35 +0200 References: <199606110028.UAA01873@lucretia.msu.edu> Organization: private Linux site, southern Germany Lines: 52
Aaron Tiensivu <tiensivu@pilot.msu.edu> wrote: > o Ability to nuke source code that is not specific to your configuration. > Not necessarily a default option, but an option, none-the-less.
Split the architecture dependent parts off into separate distributions. Okay, we've had this before, but with the current kernel source in tar and feathers at way over 5 MB and the guarantee that you'll _never_ need a substantial portion of it, please reconsider.
> o Only re-make modules if necessary
Only re-make _anything_ if necessary. Do away with <linux/autoconf.h>. Move every configurable item into its own header file - i.e. if a source module somewhere has an #ifdef CONFIG_FOO, let it include <linux/config/FOO.h> which is written by make config and consists of the single line #define CONFIG_FOO. There's no reason to recompile e.g. the whole TCP/IP code (do you know the time that takes on a 386/25? Linux 0.11 was 10 minutes on that box ;-) just for adding an SCSI driver or reconfiguring the sound card or similar nonsense. After all, what is "make" for?
(Yes Linus I know what _you_ prefer to compile that stuff on :-)
I've actually implemented this scheme via a set of scripts that heavily patched around in the source files in the 1.0.x days. Perhaps time to re-do that.
Some other points:
- Integrate the "noblink" patch.
- Something should be done about the floppy driver. It's ugly if only for its size. Same for the console driver but that has improved already a bit.
- Have all kernel symbols in the actual boot file. No need to shuffle around System.map and (worse) psdatabase.
- A standard way to run a headless machine (no video card at all) on a serial console. Find and fix the problem that some boards don't boot without a keyboard (I suspected LILO but someone said it's in setup.S).
- One step further from that: Modularize the console and keyboard driver.
olaf -- ___ Olaf.Titz@inka.de or @{stud,informatik}.uni-karlsruhe.de ____ __ o <URL:http://www.inka.de/~bigred/> <IRC:praetorius> __/<_ >> Just as long as the wheels keep on turning round _)>(_)______________ I will live for the groove 'til the sun goes down << ____
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