linux-kernel - Re: [RFC PATCH] SCSI: split Kconfig menu into two

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Date:	Sat, 15 Sep 2007 18:23:13 +0200
From:	Adrian Bunk <bunk@...nel.org>
To:	Jeff Garzik <jeff@...zik.org>, Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...e.de>
Cc:	Stefan Richter <stefanr@...6.in-berlin.de>,
	Sam Ravnborg <sam@...nborg.org>,
	James Bottomley <james.bottomley@...eleye.com>,
	linux-scsi@...r.kernel.org, Andi Kleen <andi@...stfloor.org>,
	Folkert van Heusden <folkert@...heusden.com>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH] SCSI: split Kconfig menu into two

On Sat, Sep 15, 2007 at 11:44:59AM -0400, Jeff Garzik wrote:
> Stefan Richter wrote:
>> Adrian Bunk wrote:
>>> On Sat, Sep 15, 2007 at 04:11:45PM +0200, Stefan Richter wrote:
>>>> Perfect is in the eye of the beholder.  You would consequently have to
>>>> add such options into all menus which contain scsi low-level providers.
>>> Kconfig is a user interface, so perfect is what is best for the
>>> kconfig users.
>> Duplicate options with different names in different menus, but which all
>> do the same, --- is this the best for users?
>
> I recognize it's a rhetorical question :)  The answer is of course "no".
>
> I hope the other participants of this thread register the severe 
> disinclination of the maintainers to change this stuff, as this is a 
> classic case of making a mountain out of a molehill[1].
>
> For the -vast majority- of people configuring the kernel, this is not a 
> problem.  Kernel people are -expected- to know what they're doing, 

I doubt your claim is true since the vast majority of kconfig users
are most likely not kernel developers.

@Greg:
Do you have any numbers regarding how your "Linux Kernel in a Nutshell" 
is selling?
Even download numbers?

> especially when switching from one major subsystem to another.

It's not only about switching, the same problems awaits people when 
configuring a kernel for their hardware the first time.

> Therefore, all this is IMO wasted effort and hot air.  There are far more 
> important issues to deal with.

Why don't we dump kconfig and write the .config by hand?  ;-)

More seriously:
Yes, there are many other important issues in the kernel.
But not fixing kconfig UI problems doesn't fix these issues faster.

I have seen people running into problems because some required 
option wasn't set - in the simplest cases things like IDE without DMA 
because a help text wasn't updated when more hardware support was added 
to a driver.

You might not care about the kconfig users.
But other people do.

> 	Jeff
>...

cu
Adrian

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed

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