Re: [MiNT] New kernel features

[Maurits van de Kamp <maurits@bassment.demon.nl>]

> If a feature requires more memory than expected, well, is this feature
> absolutely vital for the old hardware users to have it?
> MiNT 1.15.x works fine and is quite something already.

Precisely my point. :-) To look upon it crudely: The argument is basically
about whether we want new features or not. An argument against new
features is that it'll take too much memory on a 4mb machine. So the
answer is simple: Don't get the new kernel. :) The only reason why I would
want a newer kernel on my ST, would be bugfixes in the current
functionality. So, once we're in kernel 1.16 and meanwhile a lot of errors
were fixed in, say, the vfat fs, release another slimmed-down kernel or
(if easier) fix the same bugs in the old 1.15.x kernel.

So, my suggestion: Joerg, leave the #ifdefs in the code, but compile the
kernel with the defines set to true. :) Once it's time to upgrade the
68000/4mb kernel, you might want to run a compile with the defines set to
false.

> A poll would be nice to do. 

In awaiting the "official" questions list, I can say the following:

I'm using a 4mb 8MHz STe, an 8mb 32MHz tt and a 78mb 50MHz Falcon. I'll
eventually upgrade the memory of the TT.

For the Falcon and the TT, I'd like to see all the new features that bring
MiNT closer to the big Unixes as it can get.

On the ST, I'm amazed at the functionality it can offer with the current
kernel functionality. All I'd want on the ST, is that if someone discovers
a severe bug in newfat, a memory leak in the kernel itself or whatever
else that might cause problems in the 1.15 kernel, I could somehow
download either a patched 1.15 kernel or a latest kernel slimmed down to
the same functionality the 1.15 kernel has.

Btw, Joerg said "again no agreement was made." Well I'm not sure how
workable my idea is because I don't know much about how the kernel is
built up, but as long as I haven't seen one counter-argument to this idea,
it's a bit too early to draw such a conclusion, wouldn't you think? :)

Groetjes,

Maurits.


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