kmods poll

[Thorsten Leemhuis]

/me is late in the game -- I was on vacation in the past two weeks and
tried to keep a bit away from the keyboard

On 19.06.2007 22:01, Josh Boyer wrote:
> I'd like to just do a brief poll here just to see how many are yay or
> nay for kmods.  And I'm not talking about their current implementation
> or the other various ways that the idea can be accomplished, but rather
> on the idea of having kernel modules as separate packages in general.

My 2 cent these days are this: I think we should have a kind of
"experimental and unsupported repository area" in the scope of the
Fedora-Project where we could have

- kernel-module packages for the Kernels released by Fedora

- alternate kernels

- stuff that replaces packages from the Distribution. No, no big repo --
just specific experimental areas like we had in the past as well ("AIGLX
for FC5")

Reasons for that option: there is a strong opposition against kernel
module packages or heavily patches kernels (¹) which afaics directly and
indirectly the main reason why we only have two kernels module packages
in Fedora (²). People on the other hand sometimes need kernel module
packages, and we don't have the man-power to submit all of them to the
kernel ourselfs (where they should be).

How to move on? My plan was to wait for the new elected Board and FESCo
and ask them what they want (now that we have a merged world) -- *if
they want* kernel module packages directly in the Package Repository (³)
make the infrastructure better (automatic build for packages after a
kernel gets build for updates or updates-testing [we maybe could need
something similar to solve situations like the firefox-update
dilemma...]; enhance the current kernel module packaging standard in so
we can do ship pre-build packages while make it possible for users  to
use dkms or a dkms-like solution) and tell packagers that kmods are
really allowed and wanted.

CU
thl


(¹) -- no, I don't want them either

(²) -- there were some in the queue, but afaics a lot of people
(including me) choose to not review them/help them into the repo as many
people loudly yelled "no seperate kernel modules packages in Fedora" the
last time the topic was discussed (even if the Board gave a "go"

(³) -- which I doubt