linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] BLOCK: Make it possible to disable the block layer

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Message-Id: <20060824103459.77e5569c.rdunlap@xenotime.net>
Date:	Thu, 24 Aug 2006 10:34:59 -0700
From:	"Randy.Dunlap" <rdunlap@...otime.net>
To:	David Woodhouse <dwmw2@...radead.org>
Cc:	Adrian Bunk <bunk@...sta.de>,
	Alexey Dobriyan <adobriyan@...il.com>,
	David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
	Jens Axboe <axboe@...e.de>, linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] BLOCK: Make it possible to disable the block layer

On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 18:16:03 +0100 David Woodhouse wrote:

> On Thu, 2006-08-24 at 19:07 +0200, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> > Do a "make menuconfig" and look at the number of options.
> 
> Why would I do that? I haven't done that for _years_. I've just edited
> the .config file, removed the line which turns some option on or off,
> then run 'make oldconfig'. I get asked about the option in question, and
> then if I've turned something on I get asked about other options which
> depend on it and which are now possible but weren't before.

How do you do that if you have all of ISDN disabled and want/need
to enable one ISDN driver?  or same problem for V4L(2)/dvb?
or several other subsystems?  (e.g. sound)


> Increasingly, these days, that approach has been failing due to all this
> Aunt Tillie crap. I tried turning off CONFIG_KALLSYMS the other day, but
> it took me a while to work out how. And the increasing use of 'select'
> is even worse.
> 
> > There's e.g. no reason to ask all users whether they want to compile all 
> > I/O schedulers into their kernel.
> > 
> > To avoid misunderstandings:
> > 
> > I'm not talking about people subscribed to this list.
> > 
> > It's more about a system administrator who must for some reason (e.g. 
> > hardware support or the requirement of some external patch) compile his 
> > own kernel.
> 
> Why on earth would they create a config file from scratch instead of
> using a defconfig or the config from their distribution and modifying it
> so suit their needs?
> 
> For most things, they ought to be able to just build extra modules to
> _match_ their distribution's kernel, without having to rebuild the
> kernel itself. (Although people doing stupid things in the kernel like
> #ifdef CONFIG_foo_MODULE tends to screw them sometimes -- I can't build
> IPv6 for my Nokia 770 without replacing its kernel, for example).
> 
> People just don't have that much cause to create configs from scratch --
> there's little benefit in pandering to those who are less able. Make the
> _defaults_ sane, by all means -- but don't just start hiding options.
> 
> However you dress it up, it's still ESR's Aunt Tillie come to haunt us.
> And it's a PITA.


---
~Randy
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