Messages in this thread | | | From | emoenke <> | Subject | Re: NE2000 PCI clones patches: Vote! | Date | Sun, 15 Sep 1996 13:23:01 +0200 (MET DST) |
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Hi Jacques Gelinas,
>> The NE2000 driver ALREADY DOES the PCI auto-probing! >> Everything already is as it should if one uses ne.c "built-in". >> Some maintainer, I guess it was Donald Becker himself, had decided >> (I4m almost sure with good reasons) not to accept the auto-probing >> result if invoked as a module. >> >> I am using ne.c with a PCI card since months, and I never had to code >> any setup values anywhere. ne.c just does it right as-is if not used >> as a module, and the built-in PCI code is ok. > >We are circling around an unavoidable fact: Modular kernel is the future.
Yes, agreed - all my installations are based upon the german Linux distribution SuSE-4.3, and the recent first-time-install process (for new users!) already is based upon a very rudimentary boot kernel which loads all needed drivers and filesystems as modules on demand. I use it with my NE2000 clones, too.
>The possibility to compile a kernel is a great "feature" or opportunity >but it does not have to be essential to run linux. Modular kernels offers >the linux community a solution to this. Having to compile a kernel just >because you need this ethernet adaptor or this one is a show stopper for >most linux user. If it is not a show stopper, it is a severe annoyance.
Strong words, but against the wall (or through the windows).
>If the ne2000-PCI can probe and it does not, this is linux which looks >unsophisticated. This is bad.
Either Donald Becker or Paul Gortmaker, I think, made the decision to use the auto-probe results only if invoked as a "non-module". Noone has the "argumentation power" to change this without hearing "why" they did it, and any arguing should stop until they explained it.
We don4t need pressure groups; we still are able to discuss.
Cheers -e -- Eberhard Moenkeberg GGG W W DDDD GGG G W W D D G E-Mail: emoenke@gwdg.de G GGG W W D D G GGG Phone: +49 551 2011551 Fax: +49 551 21119 G G W W W D D G G SnailMail: GGG WW WW DDDD GGG Gesellschaft fuer wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Am Fassberg, D-37077 Goettingen, GERMANY At home: Modem ("guest") ++49-551-7704102, ISDN-HDLC 7704103
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