Re: x86 (Linux Tiny): configure out support for some processors

[Ingo Molnar <mingo@elte.hu>]

* Jaswinder Singh Rajput <jaswinderlinux@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 10:49 AM, Bryan Donlan <bdonlan@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Thu, Jan 1, 2009 at 3:37 PM, Ingo Brueckl <ib@wupperonline.de> wrote:
> >> Is there any reason why CONFIG_PROCESSOR_SELECT is limited to EMBEDDED only?
> >>
> >> In my desktop pc is one specific cpu only, so I do not need support for the
> >> other processors. Unfortunately, I have no chance to disable the other ones.
> >>
> >> As it is already configurable, why not giving this option to everyone?
> >
> > EMBEDDED is just a switch to enable configuration options related to 
> > removing 'core' features of the kernel to save space. Think of it as a 
> > safety to avoid accidentally turning off something important. Feel 
> > free to switch on EMBEDDED if you want to use CONFIG_PROCESSOR_SELECT 
> > - just enabling EMBEDDED doesn't do anything by itself.
> 
> I think EMBEDDED is a misnomer for using CONFIG_PROCESSOR_SELECT and 
> should be used for more specific to Embedded stuff like for Embedded 
> range of CPUs or Embedded Systems.

i think EMBEDDED is justified in this particular case, as enabling 
CONFIG_PROCESSOR_SELECT allows you to create truly CPU-incompatible 
kernels. Kernels that panic on bootup on contemporary CPUs that happen to 
have a different manufacturer.

The normal CPU selection options (like CONFIG_MCORE2) are more like 
performance and preference hints not hard constraints - those kernels will 
generally still boot fine on most other CPUs as well. (with a few 
common-sense exceptions like booting on truly ancient CPUs, i.e. booting 
an CONFIG_MCORE2 kernel on an i486DX CPU will not work)

	Ingo