From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1755173Ab0E3Whf (ORCPT ); Sun, 30 May 2010 18:37:35 -0400 Received: from science.horizon.com ([71.41.210.146]:50304 "HELO science.horizon.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S1754523Ab0E3Whe (ORCPT ); Sun, 30 May 2010 18:37:34 -0400 Date: 30 May 2010 18:37:28 -0400 Message-ID: <20100530223728.14700.qmail@science.horizon.com> From: "George Spelvin" To: sameo@linux.intel.com Subject: Re: [GIT] [2.6.35] MFD pull request Cc: linux@horizon.com, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Linus wrote: > Samuel - this adds the CONFIG_MFD thing, with absolutely _no_ explanation. > So now people see this totally incomprehensible question: > > Enable Multifunction device drivers? (Y/n) > > with no sane way to decide whether they should actually enable it or not. Seconded. This actually happens a lot; I don't mean to pick on the MFD drivers especially. Sometimes the best way to answer a new config question is to RTFS, which is a bit tedious. For example, the "ACPI 4.0 Power Meter" (CONFIG_ACPI_POWER_METER). To me, a power meter is a large glass-encased object containing a spinning aluminum disc and mounted on the wall of my house which determines my monthly power bill. How this relates to ACPI 4.0 firmware is unclear. Indeed, how do I figure out of I have ACPI 4.0 firmware? Then there's CONFIG_SFI. Nowhere in the Kconfig text does it explain that it's intended as a lightweight alternative to ACPI for hand-held devices and not for desktop machines. Then there are the PCI_GO* options... I still have no idea. (I just pick "any", figuring it's the most likely to work.) I think the CONFIG_PCI help text could use some updating. The CONFIG_PCIEPORTBUS is unnecessarily confusing. It doesn't clearly explain, if I have PCI express slots on my computer: - Do I actually need this to boot? - Does it do anything besides enable a config submenu? CONFIG_MCA (admittedly a critically endangered interest group, but still listed as "Maintained" in MAINTAINERS) stresses the importance of the web site address given in in Documentation/mca.txt, which is http://www.dgmicro.com/mca/. That domain no longer exists (expired March '07) and has been grabbed by a squatter. It can be found on the wayback machine at http://web.archive.org/web/20070225223240/http://www.dgmicro.com/mca/ and gives a last update date of 1999. It would be easy to go on...