best way to determine devices with drivers

Jono Bacon jono at jonobacon.org
Thu Jun 24 02:34:48 PDT 2004


Ikke wrote:
> Can't this be done with that other project one mailed here? Can't
> remember the name. David, we had a little chat on this, remember?

Was this the free software community hardware database?

> Can a driver compiled against, let's say, 2.6.0-vanilla, work with my
> 2.6.7-love1 kernel? Or can a Redhat user use the same modules as a
> Suse user?

This is the main question. I suspect that for some kernels it will work
and for some it won't. Then again, I get the impression that a
2.x.x-custom kernel from a distributor simply has certain things turned
on and off and code has not been modified. Maybe some Red Hat and SuSE
hackers on the list can enlighten us. :)

> This is a nice project indeed, but I'm afraid it's more difficult than
> one expects now. But keep going! If this gets done, it'd be great for
> the Linux desktop.

 From what I can see, so long as we can tie together a module safely
with a device, it is simple. The main challenge is determining if a
single module will work across distros and how to make the modules
available in a safe manner - we don't want this to be a means of some
loser owning the module repository and everyone getting infected with a
virus.

	Jono

-- 
Jono Bacon - http://www.jonobacon.org/
Writer / Journalist / Consultant / Developer


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