Re: [PATCH 0/1] Embedded Maintainer(s), linux-embedded@vger list

[David Woodhouse <dwmw2@infradead.org>]

On Wed, 2008-04-30 at 20:22 +0200, Andi Kleen wrote:
> David Woodhouse <dwmw2@infradead.org> writes:
> 
> > Andrew Morton has been saying recently that we need an 'embedded
> > maintainer', to take responsibility for 'embedded issues' in the core
> > kernel, as well as trying to improve our relationship with those using
> > the Linux kernel for 'embedded' devices -- who have a reputation of
> > not working with us very closely; to their detriment as well as our
> > own.
> 
> I hope your job description doesn't include adding more and more
> CONFIGs though.
> 
> I am sure there are lots of low hanging fruit where memory can be
> saved and it's a good thing someone cares about that, but please don't
> focus on the code size only. Or if you work on that don't do it 
> using CONFIG or when you really add a new one find some other 
> that is pointless and remove it first. 
> 
> There are simply already far too many of them and they make the 
> kernel harder and harder to change.

I agree. And if we do want to pay attention to pure code size, there are
other approaches -- like --gc-sections and/or building with '--combine
-fwhole-program' which I was playing with for OLPC a while back. I must
dust that off now that the GCC fixes should mostly have made it into
current distributions.

-- 
dwmw2