Re: [gentoo-dev] Speaking of new kernels being added to the tree

[Kumba <kumba@gentoo.org>]

Jason Stubbs wrote:

> Ahem?
> 
> I think the main point to the discussion is new users. I, too, have never used 
> genkernel so don't know how viable the idea of using it in its current state 
> would be. Nor am I admonishing that it should be the "only way to go". 
> However, everything in Gentoo is configured, compiled and installed through 
> the single emerge command. It would make most sense to me to choose what 
> classes of drivers/functionality I wanted through USE flags and then do 
> post-installation configuration through /etc/modules.autoload*. Can anyone 
> say why the kernel is special and should be done differently? - other than if 
> it ain't broke don't fix it! 

> I'm with almost all other people in that it would not be a high priority for 
> some time to come. On the other hand, I'm against people who are putting 
> forward arguments that the kernel is somehow special. Almost every other 
> package is installed with extra cruft so that can't be used as an excuse. 
> Gentoo is about making things easier for everyone which means safe defaults 
> and easily accessible complete customisation, so Luke-Jr's idea at least 
> deserves consideration rather than instant dismissal.
> 
> Jason

Honestly, the kernel is special.  Everyone has a different x86 
machine...different NIC card, sound card, video card, motherboard, IDE 
chipset, scsi card, CPU....Some have V4L, some have I2C stuff, some have 
parallel ports, some have ISA, some have PCI, some have both, some have 
serial console, some have radeons, some have nvidias.....See the point?

x86 is *way* too diverse an architecture to configure solely through USE 
Flags.  How can it be set so we know whether someone has a VIA IDE 
chipset and not an SiS, or how someone have a RealTek 8139-based NIC 
card, and whether they need the old RealTek driver, or the newer one?

As much as we all love Gentoo for it's ability to configure things 
easily (in most cases), the kernel to me is just that one little nuance 
that stands apart from the base system.  Everyone should learn how to 
configure their kernel, in my opinion.  It is probably the one thing 
every linux distro should teach people how to do.  The advantages far 
outweigh the disadvantages, and by building their own kernel, the user 
becomes aware of what is inside their machine.

genkernel is a great idea, and kudos to the original author.  But 
genkernel is aimed at being a temporary solution to help a user get 
their system up and running quickly.  Then they'll eventually sit down 
and configure their own kernel.  Right now, genkernel is just an option. 
  Users don't have to use it if they don't want to, and this should stay 
that way as it fits with Gentoo's philosophy of providing user's with 
choices.  I'd also like to see genkernel modified to handle other 
architectures too -- this would give it a boost with other distros that 
support multiple archs.


--Kumba

-- 
"Such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: 
small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are 
elsewhere."  --Elrond


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