Hi,

I'm still a newbie but I'd like to know why it is far from common to mention kernel compile configuration options when advertising/making known linux distributions (i.e. on their websites).

With the 2.6.x kernels having so much inbuilt hardware recognition power, it's really the kernel compile configuration nowadays which decides whether your particular hardware willl work out of the box or not.

I know this stuff about modules, though I could never quite grasp it.

Nevertheless it's always really cool when a linux distro recognises your wifi card (surely that's an acid test), but that will only happen if the dsitro designers got a considerater kernel compile config.

"Just" some thoughts.

"I'm still a newbie but I'd like to know why it is far from common to mention kernel compile configuration options when advertising/making known linux distributions (i.e. on their websites)."

The kernel configuration is a little more complicated than that. When a distribution compiles a general purpose kernel they include almost everything. If they compiled all possible functions into the loadable kernel it would be too unwieldy to use. So they compile everything possible as loadable modules.

Then when you install that distribution, the distribution checks to see what hardware is on the machine and configures the installed software accordingly. There are noticable differences between the various distributions hardware detection and configuration programs. But the advertising should mention what hardware the installer is capable of configuring for or at least brag about how good their installer is at detecting and configuring hardware.

"With the 2.6.x kernels having so much inbuilt hardware recognition power, it's really the kernel compile configuration nowadays which decides whether your particular hardware willl work out of the box or not."

Actually it is the installer's abilities that determine whether your particular hardware will work out of the box or not. If it won't work out of the box you can still configure it by hand which can be a pain.

One of the problems faced by an installer is that a few of the loadable modules in the general purpose kernel should have been compiled into the bootable kernel. These are loadable modules that are needed to access loadable modules. The installer gets around this problem by creating an initrd. Initrd is a way of loading a list of loadable modules togather with the bootable kernel when the kernel is booted.

If you compile your own kernel then you can choose which modules are part of the bootable kernel and which modules are loadable modules. You don't need an initrd. There are some modules that cannot be compiled as loadable modules. Your distribution may have included modules that you don't need in the bootable kernel so you can throw those out when you compile your own kernel.

"Nevertheless it's always really cool when a linux distro recognises your wifi card (surely that's an acid test), but that will only happen if the dsitro designers got a considerater kernel compile config."

The distribution installers are most likely to have trouble with the newest device drivers. Wifi is fairly recent so all distributions haven't reached stable wifi support yet. A year from now it will be some other new device that may or may not work out of the box.


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Steve Stites

I'm very appreciative of your reply Steve .. many thanks. It clears up a number of things for me.

I have to do a search at the other replies you give ... I might start to learn a bit faster then ...

Cheers!