Re: [PATCH 0/11 v3] enable "make ARCH=x86"

[Jeff Garzik <jeff@garzik.org>]

Brian Gerst wrote:
> Jeff Garzik wrote:
>> Sam Ravnborg wrote:
>>> This is the patch that get rid of ARCH=i386 and ARCH=x86_64
>>> and introduce ARCH=x86.
>>> It touches several files but the changes are all one or two-liners.
>>>
>>>       x86: drop backward compatibility symlinks to i386/boot and
>>> x86_64/boot
>>>       kbuild: sanity check the specified arch
>>
>> IMO it negatives impacts the workflow when you -remove- the ability to
>> set 32/64-bit on the make command line.
>>
>> Building and testing for both architectures now requires the additional
>> step of editing .config, which is a clear workflow negative impact at
>> least for me.
>>
>> I switch between other cross-compiled arches (alpha, usually) on the
>> makefile command line
>>
>> Yes, I know other 32/64-bit arches require .config editing.  That
>> doesn't change the basic fact that this is a workflow regression.
>>
>>     Jeff
> 
> You can use:
> 
> make i386_defconfig
> make x86_64_defconfig

Does that work for alpha too?


> In any other case you'd be editing the .config anyways.

No, that's a logic rathole down which I will not follow :)

You can make any argument along those lines command line usage is really 
an art, not a science.  Its a user interface, and that involves human 
taste rather than logic.

I've been bouncing between architectures using ARCH= for years, and my 
fingers and brain have been trained.  It's just disappointing and a pain 
to change this nice user interface that has served so well for years.

This is /not/ a cleanup, it's a user interface change.

	Jeff