Messages in this thread | | | Subject | Re: 2.3.51 tulip broken | Date | Sat, 18 Mar 2000 15:32:47 +0000 (GMT) | From | Alan Cox <> |
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> 1) Should the kernel source code interfaces, for well-understood > interfaces, be stable? (We are solidly committed not having a binary > interface, so bringing that up is a red herring.)
For stable kernel series yes. And they should be frozen a bit before the first n.foo-pre release so that stuff can be checked over and solidified
> 2a) Given that development kernels are frequently unstable in some > unexpected way, is is reasonable force testing of driver changes > combined with unknown other changes?
I had a lot of the same problems trying to get stuff sorted with you for 2.2.x though, and that is a stable API and a basically sound kernel. The pci_netif stuff broke spectacularly on it, with cards appearing 8 times and the like.
I switched to Andrey Savochim's eepro100 driver because it actually worked and he was fixing the bugs people were reporting. I try on the whole to keep close to your drivers (pre netif anyway) but they have bugs in them that just aren't getting fixed - the 21041 + modern tulip problem, the 3c590 8K hang under load (all driver revs >0.49!) and the eepro100 hangs.
That tells me several things - as Jeff can now testify network cards are evil buggy little contraptions. If the bugs aren't getting fixed then we need more people beating on those drivers and hacking them
> 2b) Given that the kernel continues to exponentially increasing in size, > should all development go through the latest development kernel?
Lots of driver people work against the stable kernel - but in SMALL updates. That is one of the important things.
> should be using the development source tree. But the "official" advice to > anyone with device problems, frequently repeated on the kernel mailing list, > is to run the latest development kernel.
No the official advice os to run the latest pre release stable kernel.
Alan
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