Quoting Marcin Owsiany ([EMAIL PROTECTED]): > On Wed, Sep 29, 1999 at 05:24:54PM +0300, Martin Fluch wrote: > > On Wed, 29 Sep 1999, Marcin Owsiany wrote: > > > > > I guess this kind of kernel packages would be for people quite concerned > > > about security but also quite lazy :) > > > > I guess, this is mutual exclusive. People which are lazy will leave many > > (and I think also bigger) security holes some where else on the system, so > > that it won't matter, if you keep your kernel that much secure... > > well, yes you are right. > :) > I guess i didn't really think of it before writing :( > > > > Also if you administer a lot of boxes, and if they work ok with the > > > default > > > kernel you will find it _a lot_ more convenient to automatically upgrade > > > kernel than to compile it for each box... > > > > Ever considerd the package 'kernel-package'. This makes out of any kernel > > source debian packages, which then can be installed with dpkg, apt-get or > > what ever ... > > sure, since i had discovered it, i've never made a kernel without using it. > But still you have to make the kernel, and if you compile it, you can't > resist tweaking it to each particular system's needs, can you? :)
But this is where modules can help you. I have several machines that need slightly different configurations because they have different built-in sound mobos. I compile the kernel on one of them but with all the modules I need. Then I fine tune /etc/modules for soundcard, ppa, joystick etc. But I think that the separation of kernel and distribution is a valuable property of linux and should be preserved at all costs. Otherwise there is the temptation to introduce subtle dependencies between them, which increases complexity and decreases robustness. On a slightly different but related tack, now that NT is an Intel-only OS, how long before Intel architecture specific code creeps into the kernel. How hard will it be to extract those dependencies when transferring it to a new platform. Cheers, -- Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: +44 1908 653 739 Fax: +44 1908 655 151 Snail: David Wright, Earth Science Dept., Milton Keynes, England, MK7 6AA Disclaimer: These addresses are only for reaching me, and do not signify official stationery. Views expressed here are either my own or plagiarised.