Messages in this thread | | | Date | Tue, 8 May 2007 12:14:33 -0400 (EDT) | From | "Robert P. J. Day" <> | Subject | Re: [PATCH][RFC] Create a top-level "Space-critical features" menu. |
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On Tue, 8 May 2007, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> On Tue, May 08, 2007 at 04:06:30AM -0400, Robert P. J. Day wrote: > > > > i've always hated that lower-level menu under "General setup": > > > > Configure standard kernel features (for small systems) ---> > > > > which buries the choice of de-selecting features to save space one > > level down without really explaining what it's all about. so i just > > shifted all of that up to the top under what i think is a more > > meaningful name. > > > > this patch is also why i asked earlier why top-level menu entries > > have no "help" text -- because, in this case, it would be useful for > > someone looking at the config screen to see that choice and be able to > > ask, "hey, i wonder what *that's* all about", and get help along the > > lines of: > > > > "these features are normally selected but, if you're strapped for > > space, such as with embedded systems, you might consider turning some > > of them off. if space isn't an issue, you might as well just leave > > them as they are." (or something like that.) > >... > > I'm against it: > > I don't have numbers, but I'd expect the vast majority of people > building kernels to be people with low kernel knowledge building for > an i386/x86_64 system.
i agree. but a number of people have already suggested that that lower-level menu
"Configure standard kernel features (for small systems)" --->
is not well-designed. and the very people you're talking about will see that and not be quite sure what it represents. and they *certainly* won't realize that *not* selecting it will have consequences in other menus.
that particular menu is confusing for a number of reasons:
1) it's badly named 2) it has no help to explain it 3) even if you don't select it, it will still have some sub-menu entries, which is non-intuitive 4) it's not at all clear that, if you don't select it, other possible config entries all over the source tree won't be available.
> OTOH, people developing embedded systems are most likely more > familiar with kernel internals.
i'm betting even embedded people might not understand what's going on there. it's particularly confusing since, if you choose that option, you will suddenly see a number of additional "small system" features you can turn off, but there's no indication that options all over the tree are suddenly becoming visible.
note: i have no problem with some kind of overall, top-level option that does this sort of thing. i just don't think the current technique is the right way. in fact, i think it's awful, and i'd love to see it made more obvious.
rday -- ======================================================================== Robert P. J. Day Linux Consulting, Training and Annoying Kernel Pedantry Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
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