Re: [PATCH] Make vm86 support optional

[Adrian Bunk <bunk@stusta.de>]

On Thu, Dec 29, 2005 at 12:47:18PM -0600, Matt Mackall wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 29, 2005 at 05:39:00AM +0100, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> > On Wed, Dec 28, 2005 at 02:27:35PM -0600, Matt Mackall wrote:
> > >...
> > > +config VM86
> > > +	depends X86
> > > +	default y
> > > +	bool "Enable VM86 support" if EMBEDDED
> > > +	help
> > > +          This option is required by programs like DOSEMU to run 16-bit legacy
> > > +	  code on X86 processors. It also may be needed by software like
> > > +          XFree86 to initialize some video cards via BIOS. Disabling this
> > > +          option saves about 6k.
> > >...
> > 
> > I don't like such space statements ("about 6k") in help texts, since 
> > history has shown that noone updates them when the actual size 
> > changes...
> 
> What would you prefer? It's important to give a relative size vs
> functionality savings so people can decide whether they want a feature
> and simply saying a little/a lot is insufficient.

I'd expect people using the "enable only if you know what you are doing" 
EMBEDDED option to be able to figure out themselves how big a space 
saving is (and even more important whether they can actually live 
without the feature). 

cu
Adrian

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed