Kernel > 2.6.20

[Derick Centeno]

On Thu, 17 May 2007 15:22:54 +0200
Kai <yavin at gmx.com> wrote:

> Hey YDL maintainers,
> 
> do you plan to release new kernel packages for the PS3 which are based
> on a version greater than 2.6.20?
> 
> I'm trying to compile a kernel on my own, but I have problems with the
> patches included in the 2.6.17 rpm. They can't be applied to 2.6.21.
> 
> Regards, Kai
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> yellowdog-newbie at lists.terrasoftsolutions.com
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Hi Kai:

Not everyone in this community maintains the kernel used and modified
by TSS which is then further developed (I imagine) to produce YDL.  I
haven't worked on a kernel for a months, if not longer.

Why would you want to use a patch designed for a lower/lesser version
of the kernel on a higher numbered kernel?  I believe that such a
strategy is a decision which could lead to many difficulties.

Patches to a certain kernel are akin to patches used in any emergency
room.  Once a patch is applied to a specific kernel within a tree it is
intended just for that utility.  It isn't fit or intended to be placed
elsewhere, in my opinion.

A higher kernel number almost always implies that patches to earlier
kernel versions have been included, corrected and modified within that
newer kernel.  Patches to the higher numbered kernel therefore
usually address completely different problems or more narrow
difficulties omitted previously.

In the past, sites providing access to kernel source and patches, etc.
used to be clear in providing instructions regarding their use,
especially because the whole topic (of kernels and their associated
respective patches) becomes enormously complex when divided across
computer architectures.  Then the problem has an added twist where one
needs to consider whether a certain patch is current for the
appropriate kernel using that particular architecture.

This is not the kind of topic that persons usually new to Linux deal
with.  In recognition of that reality, congrats for attempting/exploring
an advanced area of Linux which even experts find a challenge.

The Linux documentation project goes into some detail which could be
useful to you:  http://tldp.org/

I've also found this site to be very helpful; it could be of some use
to you: http://www.justlinux.com/

Good Luck...
========
The scientist's religious feeling takes the form of a
rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which
reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, in
comparison with it, the highest intelligence of human beings
is an utterly insignificant reflection.  This feeling is the
guiding principle of his life and work. 
-- Albert Einstein, Scientist.