[opensuse-kernel] Re: [RFC] Simplifying kernel configuration for distro issues

[Steven Rostedt]

On Thu, 2012-07-19 at 19:34 +0200, Borislav Petkov wrote:

> > I can pass the above to a allnoconfig, and the box will boot and allow
> > ssh. Note, the reason for the serial config, is that this ktest run uses
> > a serial port to see if the box booted. If the serial isn't there, then
> > it thinks it failed.
> 
> I agree with all this and you've explained this to me live already so
> you're preaching to the choir.

Yes, I know you know this already, as we discussed it in a pub over a
beer (choir practice). But this is a public forum on LKML (the church),
where I now have an audience of heathens. Convert! Convert! You are all
sinners!

> 
> But it would be a lot faster/easier if users can select, let's call'em
> "profiles" which are not mutually exclusive and can speed up the
> configuration process. They can either be distro-specific or generic,
> selecting certain features you need.
> 
> So configuring your kernel would be like shopping without paying too
> much attention to details. Let's look into the head of a person doing a
> config like that and read some of her thoughts :):
> 
> "Hm, ok, this new configurator is cool, a lot faster I gotta say... So,
> what do I need, ah, yes, it is an AMD laptop so from vendors I select
> AMD, then I probably need ext4, then I'd like to do packet filtering
> so I should enable iptables.. Oh, I'd like to do tracing too so let's
> enable tracing and trust Steven with the options he's added by default,
> then I need ahci, I'd also like to do encrypted partitions so I'll
> enable device mapper with crypto... "
> 
> So all those things could be selectable from that profiles menu without
> having to go through the gazillion of little suboptions and having to
> read help (which is sometimes completely helpless) and figure out do I
> need it or not.
> 
> And this would simplify configuration a lot. IMHO, anyway.
> 

I totally agree with this. It would be nice to have a profile list where
you can pick and chose what you have installed:

	network
	nfs
	ext3
	serial
	xen
	kvm
etc etc

Where you can pick and choose what general features you want and it
selects all the core infrastructure to get those features usable. It
wouldn't select the device modules needed, you will still need to select
what hardware you have. But it gets most of the work done for you.

But this still doesn't solve Linus's initial request. That would be a
single option that makes your distro boot, and work well. Again, that
option wont have the drivers needed, but it will enable all the core
infrastructure that you need.

Going with my /usr/share/Linux/Kconfig, this could use the profile
options as well. And just select those that are required. But then
again, Linus did want a minimum selection of stuff.

Side note (again), IIRC, "select" has a bug. If you have Config X
selecting config Y but Y depends on Z, if you enable X, it will enable Y
without enabling Z. I think there were some patches to address this, but
I don't remember.

-- Steve