Aaron Tiensivu <tiensivu@pilot.msu.edu> wrote:
> o Ability to nuke source code that is not specific to your configuration.
> Not necessarily a default option, but an option, none-the-less.
Split the architecture dependent parts off into separate
distributions. Okay, we've had this before, but with the current
kernel source in tar and feathers at way over 5 MB and the guarantee
that you'll _never_ need a substantial portion of it, please
reconsider.
> o Only re-make modules if necessary
Only re-make _anything_ if necessary. Do away with <linux/autoconf.h>.
Move every configurable item into its own header file - i.e. if a
source module somewhere has an #ifdef CONFIG_FOO, let it include
<linux/config/FOO.h> which is written by make config and consists of
the single line #define CONFIG_FOO. There's no reason to recompile
e.g. the whole TCP/IP code (do you know the time that takes on a
386/25? Linux 0.11 was 10 minutes on that box ;-) just for adding an
SCSI driver or reconfiguring the sound card or similar nonsense. After
all, what is "make" for?
(Yes Linus I know what _you_ prefer to compile that stuff on :-)
I've actually implemented this scheme via a set of scripts that
heavily patched around in the source files in the 1.0.x days. Perhaps
time to re-do that.
Some other points:
- Integrate the "noblink" patch.
- Something should be done about the floppy driver. It's ugly if only
for its size. Same for the console driver but that has improved
already a bit.
- Have all kernel symbols in the actual boot file. No need to shuffle
around System.map and (worse) psdatabase.
- A standard way to run a headless machine (no video card at all) on a
serial console. Find and fix the problem that some boards don't boot
without a keyboard (I suspected LILO but someone said it's in
setup.S).
- One step further from that: Modularize the console and keyboard driver.
olaf
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