[mdlug] KDE 4 now Linux Kernel Compiling

[Robert Adkins]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mdlug-bounces at mdlug.org 
> [mailto:mdlug-bounces at mdlug.org] On Behalf Of Raymond McLaughlin
> Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 3:17 AM
> To: MDLUG's Main discussion list
> Subject: Re: [mdlug] KDE 4
> 
> The thing that intimidates me about all this auto-magical; 
> stuff is lack of control, and just assuming that it will all 
> work right. I mean when it compiles and installs, does it 
> replace your current (working) kernel with one that you hope 
> will boot? In the old days I would give the new kernel a name 
> like "vmlinuz-test-001", and put it in the boot menu as
> *NOT* the default boot, so I could test it without depending 
> on it working. I could always boot the old kernel and try 
> again if something was not right.
> 
> Does the new system really assume that every kernel compiled 
> will boot?
> 

  If you current kernel boots, the kernel created by the "automagic" system
(with you altering nothing) will boot as well. Now, whether or not the new
kernel you are using is truly stable with your hardware, remains to be seen.

  However, if you did tweak the settings, like for example remove all the
Intel elements, if you are running an AMD based processor as well as
eliminate all of the legacy drivers/modules that just aren't part of your
system, it's possible that you could add/remove something and cause
problems. If you know your hardware and remove the correct stuff and maybe
add the correct stuff, you will end up with a smaller, tighter and likely
more responsive kernel.

  The nice thing is... That won't be a problem. The system simply adds the
new kernel to the bootloader, leaving the old known good kernel in place. It
simply doesn't do anything with your existing known good kernel. Thus, when
you boot, you can choose the old, new or the failsafe kernel. (Assuming you
are using OpenSuSe which includes a failsafe kernel.)

	-Rob