Popping Kernels

[Stefan Bruda]

At 16:59 +0000 on 2003-2-12 Lee Parry wrote:
 >
 > I see a lot of people running kernels that seem to originate from Mr Ben H.
 > Can I ask what the reasons for running these kernels are? 

Basically, these kernels are the "bleeding edge" in the PPC world.  It
is often the case that they support some hardware better than the
stock kernels, or that they even support hardware which is otherwise
unsupported.

Of course, benh additions will eventually go into the official kernel
source (and later in the stock distribution kernels), but then you are
in for some long waiting.

 > Or do they provide performance or stability improvements?

Sometimes they do offer improvements in performance.  They are
considered less stable than the official, stable kernel, but I have
yet to see real stability problems in any version of the Linux kernel
I tried to date (things may not work, but when they do they are pretty
solid in my experience).

Also in my experience, benh kernels worked the best, always, so I tend
to recommend them warmly.  But then...

 > I'm using the default kernel as installed by the YDL 2.3 ISO install.
 > Everything seems to work (bar the old Twin Turbo), so would there be any
 > point in me changing kernels?

If things work to your satisfaction, I see no need to change kernels.

 > (apart from my SMP issues with MOL)

Who knows, maybe a SMP benh kernel will be able to run MOL (I don't
really know, I don't have a multi-processor machine so I never tried
SMP kernels, so please somebody confirm or infirm), although you will
then have to recompile the MOL kernel modules too.

Stefan

-- 
If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as
it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.
    --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass