Re: [PATCH net] net: ethernet: davicom: Allow to select DM9000 for nios2

[Tobias Klauser <tklauser@distanz.ch>]

On 2014-12-12 at 11:08:03 +0100, David Laight <David.Laight@ACULAB.COM> wrote:
> From: Tobias Klauser
> > On 2014-12-12 at 10:49:13 +0100, David Laight <David.Laight@ACULAB.COM> wrote:
> > > From: Tobias Klauser
> > > > This chip is present on older revisions of the DE2 development kit.
> > >
> > > Doesn't that mean the selector should be DE2 not NIOS2.
> > >
> > > NIOS2 is a cpu not a board and I think this is an external peripheral
> > > not something implemented in the fpga itself.
> > 
> > You're of course right, but since nios2 relies on device tree there is
> > no notion of a specific board at compile time.
> > 
> > Moreover, the chip might be used on other boards (I personally know of
> > at least one) based on the nios2 softcore.
> 
> And I've got several boards on my desk that have Altera fpgas and
> could conceivably run linux, none of which have that chip.
> 
> Given the typical memory size constraints of such systems I can't
> actually imagine anyone wanting to run anything other than a
> specific cut-down kernel with a similarly cut-down userspace.
> 
> With actual hardware you might want any PCIe device (since the
> fpga can be a PCIe host).
> So whereas you might want almost any device, you probably want
> almost none of them.
> 
> So trying to build a 'one size fits all' kernel is completely doomed.

I completely agree. However I don't see how this has anything to do with
this patch, as it only allows to select the driver but doesn't do so by
default.