Re: CML2 design philosophy heads-up

Eric S. Raymond
2001-05-18T15:27:43Z

Arjan van de Ven <arjanv@redhat.com>:
> Aunt Tillie doesn't even know what a kernel is, nor does she want
> to. I think it's fair to assume that people who configure and
> compile their own kernel (as opposed to using the distribution
> supplied ones) know what they are doing.

I'd like to break these assumptions. Or at the very least see how far
they can be bent. I know this sounds crazy to a lot of hackers, but
I think there's a certain amount of unhelpful elitism and self-puffery
in the "kernels are hard to configure and they *should* be hard to
configure* attitude. Let's give Aunt Tillie a chance to surprise us.

> Or at least make something like a "Expert level" question as first
> question, so that people who DO know what they are doing can select
> the options they want.

Already in the plan -- in fact the EXPERT symbol exists in CML2 now.
--
Eric S. Raymond

It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our
liberties. We hold this prudent jealousy to be the first duty of
citizens and one of the noblest characteristics of the late
Revolution. The freemen of America did not wait till usurped power had
strengthened itself by exercise and entangled the question in
precedents. They saw all the consequences in the principle, and they
avoided the consequences by denying the principle. We revere this
lesson too much ... to forget it
-- James Madison.