Re: [ANNOUNCE] GSoC project: Improving kconfig using a SAT solver

From: Andi Kleen
Date: Mon May 17 2010 - 08:14:07 EST


Vegard Nossum <vegard.nossum@xxxxxxxxx> writes:

> I just wanted to say that I've been accepted into this year's Google
> Summer of Code program and will spend this summer working on improving
> the kconfig system in a very particular direction: I want to integrate
> a proper boolean constraint satisfiability solver into the
> configuration editors (menuconfig, etc.) in order to allow
> partial/incomplete configuration specifications. In short, this means
> that the user can choose to not specify a particular value for some
> config options, but let the system deduce their values. This will
> hopefully improve usability and also solve the select problem once and
> for all.

Nice idea. I read your proposal and it looks good.

I assume you got inspired by the libzypp use of a SAT solver
for package dependencies? One problem that is visible there
is that it can be hard to display conflicts in a nice and understandable
way to the user, especially if there are lots of dependencies.

It might be worth planning in some time to solve that nicely.

-Andi

--
ak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -- Speaking for myself only.
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