[Topic closed] A Desktop Linux idea: modulized open hardware database for the linux kernel config

[andreas.thalhammer@linux.com]

Theodore Ts'o wrote on Sunday, 03rd November 2013:
> It's an idea that people have tossed around before, but utltimately,
> it's far more work than it's worth, and it's a maintenance nightmare.
> For most non-technical users, using a distro kernel is quite good
> enough.

Yes, I get it. Thanks for the honesty.

> > I’m sorry, but I cannot possibly do this all by myself. I was able
> > to help in some Wikis and in Smolt, but I cannot setup such a
> > system. Apparently I was only able to come up with the idea...
>
> If you told me that you wanted to try it, I would tell you that you
> were going to be getting into a huge amount of work, and it's not
> obvious to me that it's worth it --- but if you are going to volunteer
> your own time, then it's ultimately up to you.  But having you trying
> to volunteer *other* people's time for what might be a sisyphean does
> take a fair amount of chutzpah.

I don’t want other people to volunteer, I was expressing an idea, but – after 
reading your answer – I do understand that the gain is not worth the effort. At 
least now I know what you (the people making Linux) think about it.

I was trying to off-load some workload from you (developers) to power-users. I 
consider myself to be good enough to compile a kernel by myself, and to 
install Gentoo for that matter, and I’m also willing to volunteer some of my 
spare time to help other people who run Linux. I wrote some Wiki entries on 
how to install Linux on a specific machine and how to get things to run. I 
found that most of the times a new kernel was required due to some devices 
requireing a staging driver or a deactivated feature of a driver.

However, my possibilities are limited. As I wrote before, I tried some tools 
(written by others!) that unfortunately didn’t work out, like Smolt.

So I’ll let go of that idea. I’m certainly glad to have proposed it, but I get 
it that it isn’t worth it.

I don’t think it has anything to do with chutzpah though, since the posting 
was motivated by me being eager to help where I can, not where I cannot.
(Although I do understand it may look different.)

Thanks!