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Calling for Smaller Kernel Sources?

Posted by Cliff on from the variations-on-the-source dept.

FrozedSolid asks: "I can understand that the kernel contains many drivers and support for a lot of platforms, but the fact that the full kernel download can amount to 32mb doesn't make it any easier to download with a 56k modem. Kernel patches are nice, but obviously only apply when you have access to an entire kernel tree beforehand. Is there a way you can download a leaner linux kernel source? Is there a place that carries sources for x86 only or possibly sources without some of the less popular drivers?"

3 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. Seek bandwidth elsewhere. by toybuilder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Never under-estimate the bandwidth of a plane full of CD's... ...or the CD-RW drive at your nearest Internet Cafe.

  2. Modular Kernel Sources? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Has anyone considered the possibility of modular kernel sources? Break the sources into several modules. Things like kernel-base, kernel-scsi, kernel-reiser. Download the ones you need. extract all to the same location. things like `make menuconfig` would scan for your "modules" and give you options based on which modules you have extracted. Is this a possible method to making smaller downloads?

  3. How about a (shudder) MS-Like installer? by RevRagnarok · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What about similar to what the MSIE and Netscape installers do - choose what parts you want to download...? Have the equivalent of a 'make menuconfig' that you run on your local machine, which will then just download the required/selected source, or even better calls some kind of CGI that custom packs your source tree into a tgz file for you?

    I think 'make depend' may kill it tho... unless that information can somehow be downloaded ahead of time also.

    - RR

    --
    I should put something clever here. Maybe someday.