Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from in-kernel, use it in more drivers.

david
2008-07-15T21:27:47Z

On Tue, 15 Jul 2008, Linus Torvalds wrote:

> On Tue, 15 Jul 2008, Marcel Holtmann wrote:
>>
>> you don't have to. We extend udev once and then it will always work.
>
> Umm. The thing is, people running new kernels with old user land is not
> just supposed to work, it's _really_ supposed to work.
>
> It's what I do. Something that breaks that has to have damn good reasons
> to break it.
>
> So I do not disagree with Jeff on that point _at_all_. I'm in violent
> agreement with Jeff on the fact that we should not require system updates
> for the kernel to do the right thing.
>
> The thing I disagree with Jeff on is that he then seems to turn that into
> something very negative ("let's not separate the firmware at all").

he's not saying not to seperate the firmware at all, he's asking for the
_option_ of compiling a kernel that doesn't have the firmware seperate
from the modules.

a kernel compiled with this option would just drop-in to an older distro
with zero impact. newer distros that have updated their userspace tools
could compile with different options and have the firmware seperate.

David Lang