Re: [PATCH] Add CONFIG_X86_APIC_OFF for i386/UP

[Hugh Dickins <hugh@veritas.com>]

On Fri, 28 Jan 2005, Andi Kleen wrote:

> > Forgive me for not wading through the code, but it really needs to
> > be spelt out in the comments: what's wrong with the existing kernel,
> > with "noapic nolapic" in the distro's bootstring by default?
> 
> It's harder to explain and traditionally in LILO you couldn't remove
> any options (in grub you can now).

And it's just that initial installation boot, via grub, which really
matters.  Thereafter can be edited, before perhaps switching to LILO.

> I think it makes much more sense
> to have an positive option for this too, not a negative one. 

I do agree that positives are easier to understand than negatives,
and if it were some C variable I'd be arguing the same way.

But we seem to have a long tradition of "no" boot options to disable
features, and you're asking to reverse that tradition: fair enough,
but let's be clear about that.  Might be easiest to understand if
every "no" has a no-"no".  (But then where does the CONFIG come in?)

> Also I must add my patch fixes real bugs in the code, not just
> adding the new option.

Good, but then they should be in a separate patch.

> > I'm not going to be the only one confused by this!
> 
> I think there is much more confusion in the current way.

I'll shut up now, let's see what others think.

Hugh