Re: Linux drivers management

[Pedro Alves <pedro@moebius.com.br>]

David,

  You got my vote..... I make simple hardware to improve availability 
of operational systems and i just
can't go to build a native driver because i could not find a kit that 
works.... now i use a perl script to
acomplish this mission... it works greate but is not beaulty as i like 
it to be.... Time is money.....
 Pedro Alves

David Chow wrote:

> > David> separate Linux drivers and the the main kernel, and manage
> > David> drivers using a package management system that only manages
> > David> kernel drivers and modules? If this can be done, the kernel
> > David> maintenance can be simple, and will end-up with a more stable
> > David> (less frequent changed) kernel API for drivers, also make every
> > David> developers of drivers happy.
> >
> > David> Would like to see that happens .
> >
> > Simple answer: no
> >
> > Maybe someone is working on it, but it's highly unlikely to be
> > anything but a waste of that person's time.
> >
> > This is a classic question, by seperating out the drivers you make it
> > so much harder for all developers to propagate changes into all pieces
> > of the tree.
> I write drivers, never need to change kernel if the kernel API is 
> mature enough to provide the need of a module developer needs. There 
> is no reason to make changes to the kernel source, only needed because 
> the original kernel code is crap or the API designed without proper 
> software/system architectural design work effort. Each Linux kernel 
> version go through a lengthy beta release cycle (e.g. 2.3, 2.5, 2.7), 
> this shouldn't happen and idea collection should be enough through 
> this large Linux community.
> If our time is to focus on kernel's kernel, writing good documentation 
> about a stable kernel API, it will benefit many developers to write 
> drivers to Linux . It is too difficult to learn, this is a main reason 
> why Linux is lack of support from manufacturer drivers, not because 
> they don't like Linux and no market, it is because this has created 
> high entry barrier for them.
> I've been working on Linux modules for many years, training my 
> engineers, talking to developers, hw manufacturers .. believe it or 
> not, this is the main reason. They all ask for a DDK for Linux that 
> can make drivers easily for their product.
> I think I am in a different position like you guys, I've been work 
> with Linux from programmer level to Linux promotion . My goal is not 
> just focus on Linux technical or programming, I would like to promote 
> this operating system to not just for programmers, but also 
> non-technical end-users . Writing C code to me is just bits of task of 
> some process.  You are too much focus on programming without 
> considering the market situation.
> There is no right or wrong for this question, but my original question 
> is to listen thoughts and to hear the goal of people in the list. And 
> of course, I would really like to see you people look into the way to 
> facilitate more people gets a path with ease to Linux drivers 
> development. User driver installation without the need to know about 
> kernel sources, gcc, make etc....  "Because I am a dummy, I want to 
> plug-in my device, put in the driver disc and hope it works!"
> regards,
> David Chow
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