Messages in this thread | | | From | Timothy Covell <> | Subject | Re: Aunt Tillie builds a kernel (was Re: ISA hardware discovery -- the elegant solution) | Date | Mon, 14 Jan 2002 17:30:51 -0600 |
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OK, drop what you're holding and prepare to load up on rotten tomatoes, but I know that there is a solution. Inasmuch as I am a fan of Linux and BeOS, I think that the way to go is with just about everything (sans networking perhaps) built as a kernel module just like what is being discussed. Nothing is simpler in BeOS than downloading a driver and plopping it in $HOME/config/add-ons/kernel/busses/ieee1394 (most install scripts do this for the user or provides a "drag this driver to here" link. And with BeOS, the boot menu allows one to disable "user add-ons" so that if there is a problem with the module, one can disable it.
Yes, this doesn't please the server folks. For them, I think that we should either leave the monolithic build as an option or find a way to get rid off any penalties to using modules.
BeOS, autoconfigures and loads all drivers in the 15 seconds or so that it takes to achieve a complete hard boot. That much said, BeOS only supports good hardware and left ISA stuff to user to play with (via a GUI tool). I really do not see the value of any more discussion of how to autoconfigure ISA/MCA/EISA/VLB cards. The vast majority of people using those systems are:
1. Still stuck in DOS World 2. Use M$ anyway 3. Would be afraid to upgrade their kernel 4. Think it's cool to have a Beowulf cluster of 386s 5. Forgot to turn off their computers before they died 6. Ancient sattelite based missile silos which we wouldn't want to touch anyhow.....
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