Good summary, Sam. I'd like to add a couple extra points: On 25-Apr-01, 19:30 (CDT), Sam Hartman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Should build custom: Some argumed that users should build a custom > kernel and the distribution was doing them a disservice by trying to > provide kernels that met their needs.
There was also a slightly different argument: That *if* the user needs the slight performance improvement offered by a CPU optimized kernel, then *probably* that user is both capable of building his/her own, *and* would gain further (and possibly more significant) performance benefits by many other choices one could make when configuring a kernel (module vs. non-module, etc.) Confusion: Adding 8 (or whatever it is) variations of each kernel version is going to make it harder to select the appropriate one. There is some fraction of the target audience who won't know what kind of CPU they have, and we don't want to have to add to the Debian installation instructions: "Now open your computer's case, and locate the large chip with fans hanging off of it. Write down the numbers and letters on top of the chip. Now look them up in this table to determine the best kernel for your machine." How larget that fraction is I don't know, but I'd wager it was larger than 0. > Archive Size: > CD Size: > Bandwith: > Module Multiplication, size, bandwidth: Someone (sorry, forget who) proposed that instead of actually distributing a lot of different "stock" kernels, we distribute some sort "kernel-tuner" package that included the various config files and made it easy for a user to build a custom kernel that matched the Debian stock kernel except for CPU specificity (and one could extend this to a matrix of CPU/AGP/DRI choices). Perhaps it could present a menu of choices ("pick the things you have") and then select (or generate) the appropriate config file, use make-kpkg to build the new kernel, and then install the new kernel.deb. Yes, it would take longer, but it doesn't have any of the negative impacts on the archive, and it starts the user on the path to custom kernel competency. Steve -- Steve Greenland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (Please do not CC me on mail sent to this list; I subscribe to and read every list I post to.)