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Configuring the 2.6 Linux Kernel
An anonymous reader writes "This article is the first in a series by William von Hagen on using the new Linux 2.6 kernel, with a special emphasis on the primary issues in migrating existing drivers, applications, and embedded Linux deployments to a Linux distribution based on the 2.6 kernel. Bill is the author of Linux Filesystems, Hacking the TiVo, SGML for Dummies, Installing Red Hat Linux 7, and is the coauthor of The Definitive Guide to GCC (with Kurt Wall) and The Mac OS X Power Users Guide (with Brian Profitt)." This looks to be a good series for anyone planning to migrate to Linux 2.6, and having done just that myself, I'll attest to wanting more documentation along the way.
Mandrake 10 will be the first major distro use Kernel 2.6. Download the beta here.
Easy to install, just download the ISOs, burn to disk, reboot and the installer will appear.
Make sure to REPORT ALL BUGS, unless you want to see the LG incident again.
Firstly, s/summerize/summarize/, and secondly, the 'funky X configuration interfaces' you talk about are nothing more than GUI applications which have nothing to do with the kernel.
This recent trend in GUIfication of Linux is troubling, and your post illustrates exactly why. It's the same 'logic' that allowed MS to call Windows an 'Operating System' before it really was. It's the same logic that lusers use when they say that they 'can't get into the Microsoft' when they really mean there's an application problem.
Computers are NOT monolithic, they are NOT black boxes. They are boxes of legos, where you can build what you want, when you want it, and leave out the crap. You have control.
Unless you cede responsibility and control to someone else.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
I found this sticky at linuxquestions.org's forums to be most helpful in doing an easy and straightforward 2.6 compile on a slackware system. LinuxQuestions.org
Whats with the default config for the kernel, it's not blank, it's a specific setup that looks like it's for a P4 with a specific network card and chipset, shouldnt the kernel config be bare? this is referring to source downloaded directly from kernel.org,
copy your /boot/config-2.x.y to the source directory as ./.config and then make oldconfig. It will go through all the old options setting them and present you with only the new options. Its a text only interface, but its pretty simple to choose between y/n/m/? and each option is pretty self explanitory. I think you can also step back a version using the same method, but Im not sure about that.
"We Don't Need No Truthless Heros!" - Project 86
This is just a very loosly disguised advert for TimeSys Linux
Nothing any monkey cant work out in about five minutes (and if they cant they should not be cross compiling for embedded devices)
Since most people dont RTFA this isnt a problem, if you are one of the many... dont bother - its S**T
I've used a KVM w/ both 2.6.0 and 2.6.1 and have had no problems. The trick was to use "IMPS/2" as the mouse protocol instead of "Auto". That, along with your ZAxisMapping option should be all you need to get it to work. Assuming of course your KVM is ps/2.
I think this will turn out to be a great series of white papers helping people get to grips with the process of configuring and compiling their own kernels, but I have to say that I think there would be faster progress on new kernels if the was some central repository of precompiled binary packages for the major distros throughout the development cycle.
The truth of the matter is that now linux is gaining wider acceptance, the community is filling up with more and more noobs and we should be doing more to help them understand the "new" (to them) technology. We also need to remember that not everyone who wants to use the software needs to be some sort of guru.This article is a great start to moving more people to the new code quicker, but regular up to date debs/rpms for all the current distributions will push that long even faster. I know someone will probably post saying "but there are packed versions for xxxx at somewhere.org", but they are often difficult to find for the noobs who just don't know where to look.
The 2.6 kernel is noticeably faster on my dual Athlon 2100+mp, at the user interface; X is faster than I've ever seen it before; the realtime scheduling is awesome.
In short, as soon as you can reasonably do so, I recommend you migrate to the 2.6.x kernel.
Thinking outside my Head
There is a 2.6 Input Drivers Faq . It covers some of the more common issues, including some KVM problems.
Be kind. There are too many mean people out there already.
As opposed to, say, Microsoft or Oracle providing the software? And you don't think that the Chinese (or Indians, or Russians, or whatever) have the ability to write software themselves, that programming is somehow a uniquely American talent? If you get your head out of whatever other anatomical place it's parked in, you'd see how silly that is.
One of the advantages of Windows never mentioned in the article is the ability of Microsoft to remotely deactivate Windows XP in the case of a national emergency.
And you wonder why the rest of the world is moving away from it. Whether it's true or not, just making statements like this hurts the U.S. software industry more than anything that Stallman can say.
A known proponent of socialism, the Chinese government and RMS are natural allies.
Well golly, Bubba, it seems that the Bush administration has been getting pretty cozy with the Chinese government, too. If anyone's looking to sell out Taiwan, there's where you want to direct your vitriol. Are you aware that the President's brother, Neil Bush, is getting rich lobbying for China? No, I didn't think so...
Oops... I think I got baited!