Re: [RFC] misleading error message

[Horst von Brand]

David Ford <david+challenge-response@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:

[...]

> I want to be able to request information about a whooplesnoople without 
> it triggering a module load request, to determine if it's compiled in 
> statically.  I want to be able to distinguish static a static 
> whooplesnoople from a modularly loaded whooplesnoople.

The running kernel might have been compiled with whooplesnoople support,
but the module isn't there (or is broken); there are modules (think the
infamous binary drivers, but the NTFS and ipw-2x00 drivers are fully open
source examples I use) that can be loaded into "any" running kernel (even
build them after the kernel was built). A part of the module mechanism is
exactly for making that possible, so this is not a _kernel_ property, but a
_setup_ property.

The only reliable way of finding out if support is there is by using it. Or
groping inside /etc/modprobe.conf and /lib/modules &c to find out, if you
are brave. I'm chicken.
-- 
Dr. Horst H. von Brand                   User #22616 counter.li.org
Departamento de Informatica                     Fono: +56 32 654431
Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria              +56 32 654239
Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile                Fax:  +56 32 797513
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