Let me tell you MY thoughts since I am the "user" in this case.
The setup is this: I am an advanced user. I have certifications in OS/2, windoze, Solaris 7, and am an RHCE. I taught the RHCE course for the time I worked for Red Hat. I do shell and Perl and cgi scripting. I program occasionally in C or C++, but I am NOT a programmer. I have a little knowledge of programming structure and header files. I have recompiled the Linux kernel to remove unneeded modules. I have never attempted to change anything in the kernel code and then recompile to achieve a particular objective such as making a device work. All of that said, I could probably figure out how to do the necessary steps - with some help from my friends - without screwing up my system to the point I could not reboot and get back my original kernel. I think it would be a wonderful opportunity for me to learn new stuff. It would be great if there were an RPM or tarball I could install and forget about, but there isn't and aren't we talking about what makes Linux great right here - the ability for those of us who have a need and the time and the desire to get in and do what is necessary and learn something and to perhaps sooner or later contribute something back to the community? Now I realize from having spent many years at IBM as the lead OS/2 support person, that not all users should have the advice that has been dispensed to me. I know some folks who should be legally barred from having or using a computer. But if we found our way here and the advice is offered - perhaps with a caveat or two if there are gotchas - where is the harm. I have destroyed a whole lot of systems by doing less than compiling a module - and will certainly do so again, whether though fatfingers, ignorance, temporary insanity, or just plain stupidity. And I won't come back here to blame the person who gave me the advice because I made a misteak. Most of the problems I have had in the nearly 30 years I have been in this business have been of my own making and I have always been able to recover one way or another. I really do appreciate all of the advice and information. If I wished to wait, it looks like I could get a kernel upgrade from Red Hat at some point in the future and do this the easy way. I think I will stick around and try to learn something. On Wed, 6 Mar 2002 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Date: Wed, 06 Mar 2002 16:27:17 -0500 > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Re: [Linux-usb-users] RE: Olympus Camera > > I think I might be able to guess why you feel this way but could you expand on your >opinion? > > I'm looking at it from an advanced-user/non-developer stand point, I have a piece of >hardware I need to make work. I don't know enough to contribute to the code but I >can figure out enough to make it work within the framework of what the developer's >have built. I don't think the type of user who says, "How do I use usb?" really >poses a problem since they probably have no idea what a kernel header file even is. >However there are dangerous users like myself, who know just enough to reverse >engineer well documented kernel code. ;) > > So are users like myself doing a service by sorting out previously unknown hardware >and reporting the results or are we doing a disservice? I admit I don't know the >planning framework in usb-storage, is there an attempt to be device agnostic or is >the variability in products going to an ability to add new devices as they show up? > > I'm not trying to start any flame war here I really do want to know so that I don't >unintentionally undermine the developers efforts. > > Rich > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > I don't think we should be encouraging people to add the the unusual device list. > > On Wed, 6 Mar 2002 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > I believe the faq and guide need a bit of expansion. I finally stumbled onto what >has to be done regarding many usb-storage devices on the working devices list. >Namely, you probably will have to add an entry to unusual_devs.h in the usb-storage >module code, then recompile and reinstall the module. I had to do this for a USB HD >I unwisely purchased without checking the list. The things that need to be included >in the new entry are the vendor and device id's, the minor and major device revision >numbers [I used 0x0001 and 0xffff - ie every possible one], give names for the driver >to post, then you have to define protocols and flags - that's the hard part since if >you know as little as I do, you have to just empirically figure them out. Look for >examples on the working devices list by searching for working usb-storage devices. >The protocol options are in usb.c, the flag options are in usb.h > > > CLIP > > > > -- David Both [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, use the last form field at: https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/linux-usb-users
