Re: [RFC PATCH] SCSI: split Kconfig menu into two

[Jeff Garzik <jeff@garzik.org>]

Bartlomiej Zolnierkiewicz wrote:
> On Saturday 15 September 2007, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> > On Sat, Sep 15, 2007 at 11:44:59AM -0400, Jeff Garzik wrote:
> > > Stefan Richter wrote:
> > > > Adrian Bunk wrote:
> > > > > On Sat, Sep 15, 2007 at 04:11:45PM +0200, Stefan Richter wrote:
> > > > > > Perfect is in the eye of the beholder.  You would consequently have to
> > > > > > add such options into all menus which contain scsi low-level providers.
> > > > > Kconfig is a user interface, so perfect is what is best for the
> > > > > kconfig users.
> > > > Duplicate options with different names in different menus, but which all
> > > > do the same, --- is this the best for users?
> > > I recognize it's a rhetorical question :)  The answer is of course "no".
> > >
> > > I hope the other participants of this thread register the severe 
> > > disinclination of the maintainers to change this stuff, as this is a 
> > > classic case of making a mountain out of a molehill[1].
> > >
> > > For the -vast majority- of people configuring the kernel, this is not a 
> > > problem.  Kernel people are -expected- to know what they're doing, 
> > I doubt your claim is true since the vast majority of kconfig users
> > are most likely not kernel developers.
>
> Yes, we shouldn't be needlessly raising the bar for power users.

In this case, no bar is being "raised," for any user.


> > @Greg:
> > Do you have any numbers regarding how your "Linux Kernel in a Nutshell" 
> > is selling?
> > Even download numbers?
> >
> > > especially when switching from one major subsystem to another.
> > It's not only about switching, the same problems awaits people when 
> > configuring a kernel for their hardware the first time.
>
> *nods*
>
> > > Therefore, all this is IMO wasted effort and hot air.  There are far more 
> > > important issues to deal with.
> > Why don't we dump kconfig and write the .config by hand?  ;-)
> >
> > More seriously:
> > Yes, there are many other important issues in the kernel.
> > But not fixing kconfig UI problems doesn't fix these issues faster.
>
> Agreed, and actually not fixing Kconfig UI problems will make the other
> issues being fixed *slower* (because they result in *increased* workload
> on developers' side).

Irrelevant in this case, because there is no increased workload on the 
developer's side.


> > I have seen people running into problems because some required 
> > option wasn't set - in the simplest cases things like IDE without DMA 
> > because a help text wasn't updated when more hardware support was added 
> > to a driver.
>
> This is why nowadays IDE DMA support is automatically selected by IDE
> host drivers that need it - a big relief for everybody.

Please don't take this any more off-topic than it already is.

IDE DMA option was vastly different.  The options in question here 
affect whether or not you have a block device to use -- something that 
is immediately obviously and corrected quickly.


> > You might not care about the kconfig users.
> > But other people do.
>
> ...and even if their attempts/solutions may not be proper yet they should
> not be discouraged to work on these problems...

There is no problem, in this case.

Otherwise, there would be more than a complaint or two per year.

	Jeff


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