From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S263983AbTJFFUn (ORCPT ); Mon, 6 Oct 2003 01:20:43 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S263984AbTJFFUn (ORCPT ); Mon, 6 Oct 2003 01:20:43 -0400 Received: from smtp3.libero.it ([193.70.192.127]:23804 "EHLO smtp3.libero.it") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S263983AbTJFFUm (ORCPT ); Mon, 6 Oct 2003 01:20:42 -0400 Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 07:21:54 +0200 From: "M. Fioretti" To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Cc: io Subject: Kernel 2.6: new features and older computers Message-ID: <20031006052154.GB26388@inwind.it> Reply-To: "M. Fioretti" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.4i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Greetings, I am looking for some information on the issues listed below for two reasons. One is an article I am writing for a magazine, the other (as the coordinator of the non-profit RULE project, see my signature) is to understand if, how and how much the next linux kernel can be kept compatible with older computers. Any feedback is welcome. Should you have the time and right mood to answer here or privately with detailed explanations, thanks a thousand in advance. If not, please just point me to the relevant stuff to read (be it URLs, email threads, comments in specific source files, whatever). I have already downloaded the "wonderful world of Linux 2.6" and the documents pointed in it. On to the questions now: 1) minimal hw requirements (RAM, disk...) both to *use* and to *compile* the kernel 2) Which compilation switches could be used, if any, to lessen the above requirements and increase performance on obsolete systems (which in RULE means starting from 386/486/586 CPUs, 16+ MB RAM, hard disk ~ 400/500 MB, and the kind of peripherals used 6/7 years ago) 3) Details on how the build system is changed 4) What is RCU and which kind of performances it will improve 5) Online Kernel-related tutorials which I could/should mention in the "resource" section of the article 6) Anything else you might find relevant Thanks again, Marco Fioretti -- Marco Fioretti m.fioretti, at the server inwind.it Red Hat for low memory http://www.rule-project.org/en/