Re: PATCH [0/3]: Simplify the kernel build by removing perl.

Leon Woestenberg
2009-01-03T22:54:45Z

Hello all,

On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 9:07 AM, Rob Landley <rob@landley.net> wrote:
> Before 2.6.25 (specifically git bdc807871d58285737d50dc6163d0feb72cb0dc2 )
> building a Linux kernel never required perl to be installed on the build
> system. (Various development and debugging scripts were written in perl and
> python and such, but they weren't involved in actually building a kernel.)
> Building a kernel before 2.6.25 could be done with a minimal system built from
> gcc, binutils, bash, make, busybox, uClibc, and the Linux kernel, and nothing
> else. (Embedded developers creating clean cross compile environments that
>

I agree with Rob that the amount of required dependencies should be
kept to a minimum.

If we only use 0.5% of a certain language (or: dependent package),
then rather implement
that 0.5% in the existing language.

Dependencies very quickly become dependency hell. If A requires B,
then A also inherits all
(future) requirements of B, etc. etc.

In my daily software development work with Linux and GNU software in
general, 10% of it is spent fighting/removing these extremely "thin"
or false depencies, so that it is usuable in embedded devices.

Regards,
--
Leon