Re: [Sheflug] SuSE 7.2 kernel source

[Alex Hudson <xxxxx [at] xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sunday 14 October 2001 19:44, you wrote:
> > Absolutely correct. /usr/src/linux should contain the headers to the
> > version of the kernel your glibc was compiled on, IIRC.
> glibc is the only thing that should require kernel headers to compile.

glibc comes with a set of it's own headers; /usr/src/linux being they (or at 
least, used to be). In that sense, they're not kernel headers, they're glibc 
headers. I don't have a /usr/src/linux, but it used to be that 
/usr/include/linux would be a link to it (oldish RedHat, I think - it's 
certainly not that way any more).

> Depending on kernel headers from userspace is wrong.

To the extent that very few applications interface with the kernel from 
userland, yes. Not wrong per se, though. "Generally unneccessary" is the term 
I would use, I think.

> Linus builds in /home/linus somewhere AFAIK. If you want to distribute
> idiot proof kernel patches, ship binaries.

Shipping binary kernel patches? How do you propose that would work?

Distributing relative-path source patches is not rocket-science; there is no 
reason to depend on /usr/src/linux being the source tree (in FreeS/Wan's 
case, it wasn't a matter of redirecting the patch: the install script 
sets/did setup a web of symlinks which relied on /usr/src/linux :( )

> Debian compile everything as a module and boot from an initrd, which makes
> things a lot harder to figure out if they go wrong, not sure if any other
> distros do this.

I don't think any of them take it to the extreme Debian do (a quick check 
against a 2.4.2 RedHat server [7.1pro] shows a 760k kernel; 2.4.9 Debian 
[testing] shows 580k kernel. RedHat initrd 380k; Debian 3Meg!).

I'm not sure what I like, at the moment. I know I prefer it when lsmod isn't 
chock full of stuff I've never thought about, but a 'make allmod' (2.5?) does 
have a certain appeal for a simple-yet-good kernel build system..

Cheers,
				Alex.
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