Re: linux kernel config converter

From: Jason Lunz (j@trellisinc.com)
Date: Thu Feb 21 2002 - 10:41:23 EST


Jeff Garzik wrote:
> David Lang wrote:
>> I'll argue that _not_ doing this violated the principle of lease surprise,
>> if you turn a feature on and immediatly back off why should anything in
>> your config be any different then it was before you turned it on?
>
> Imagine this case:
>
> make xconfig # select CONFIG_USB_HID, which auto-selects CONFIG_INPUT
> { time passes }
> make xconfig # de-select CONFIG_USB_HID
>
> On the second 'make xconfig', should CONFIG_INPUT be automatically
> de-selected? No. Because that is making the assumption that the person
> does not want to continue to make the input API available.

It depends. When CONFIG_USB_HID auto-selected CONFIG_INPUT, did the user
know about it? Or did it just happen automagically behind the scenes? If
it was turned on silently, and the subsequent de-select of
CONFIG_USB_HID silently left CONFIG_INPUT turned on, I'd say that
violates least-surprise.

On the other hand, if turning on CONFIG_USB_HID then prompts "to do
that, I also have to turn on CONFIG_INPUT", i suppose it's ok to leave
CONFIG_INPUT turned on later.

-- 
Jason Lunz		Trellis Network Security
j@trellisinc.com	http://www.trellisinc.com/
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