I would like to hear peoples opinions on an automatic kernel configuration program. I suggested the idea a few months ago on this forum and Ekkume was interested in trying to develop such a program with me. So basically I want to know if anybody is going to use it before we start making it.
Thanks.
Adam

Hi!

How will the program work?

Hey dino,
thanks for the question. The idea is to scan the hardware and then create a config file that should match with the current hardware.

Just an opinion, which is what you're asking for I suppose.

I would not attempt to use an automatic kernel configuration program.

First, I wouldn't learn anything. This sounds like one of the reasons I fled Windoze for Slackware to begin with.

Second, sometimes my hardware is not detected, so I'd have to recompile anyway.

Third, the purpose of compiling a custom kernel is for things that you want in your system that others don't want/use. And nobody can write an app that reads the users mind enough to determine things such as the proper IO Scheduler for this box.

Hi!

Your idea sounds good to me. I think I would give it a try if I wanted a fast compile. Good idea! Keep working on it!

The idea is it detects for your specific hardware therefore it adds things you want in your system that might not be standard. This should help people who aren't confident compiling their own kernel but who have some hardware that doesn't work correctly and also for speed and removing unused parts of the kernel. You will also be able to check before compiliation and I'll make sure you keep your old kernel as back up.

Thanks

Personally, I don't know how widely accepted the idea would become. I think it would help a lot of new people who are too afraid to manually recompile their kernel. But most people who would be recompiling are gonna go through the options themselves and are the type of people who don't like auto-anything. Also, since you can export each configuration as a file, once you configure the kernel once, you can load the file with each new release instead of starting from scratch. An interesting idea none the less, and certainly worth building for all the Mandriva, etc. users, but don't expect a Slackware sysadmin to be using it.

I wasn't expecting people who already compile themselves to use it anyway. I've done a few myself now but remember what it was like the first couple of times trying to work out whether I needed some of the options I didn't even understand what they were for.

Yep, that would be your target audience for sure.
I think if the menuconfig documentation had a "if you don't know what you are doing, choose Yes" note for _every_ option, it would simplify things a lot.

IIRC the RH line including all of its forks do that already. once the system is installed and you want to run a kernel update as long as it is the proper .rpm then it will automatically do it for you. no muss, no fuss it just works. reboot the system and poof you are running the new kernel.

no it is not a custom and i have no clue how well it handles custom kernels, but for base install kernel it works great.

i would love something like that for debian.

I think the RH rpms are precompiled aren't they? The idea with this is to make the config file and compile a custom kernel.