Thorsten Leemhuis wrote: > On 08.09.2007 01:38, Takashi Iwai wrote: [backports to -stable] >> Linux will suck really if one breaks so-called stable thing easily >> without actually testing. For stable stuff, "it should be good" isn't >> enough. It must be: "it IS good."
This applies (or should apply...) to everything that goes to Linus in his pre -rc1 merge windows. To post -rc1 submissions and even more so to -stable submissions, additional criteria apply. However, there are special kernel trees out there which accept backports. Linux distributors do backports, because they have the means to do so. > Linux IMHO will suck even more if crucial pieces of hardware does not > work for people easily, because Linux won't get even used then and will > frustrate people. > > Don't get me wrong; I understand and agree mostly to the points you > raised. But we nevertheless need to find a way to make todays hardware > usable more quickly, as that hardware is often on the market only for > some months or a year until the successor-model replaces it (which might > need new drivers or workarounds) -- In the end there is but one solution to this: Open specs. > but it sometimes even for small > alsa-fixes takes as many months to make it from the developers out to > the kernel and from there to the distributions the user uses. > > It works better in some areas of the kernels (SATA and Network drivers > come to my mind) where patches make it quicker into the linus- and > stable-kernels -- in parts that is due to better cooperation with the > hardware-vendors, but it seems the sub-tree maintainers have a better > patch-/workflow, which has a strong impact as well. Feature additions to SATA and networking, e.g. support of additional hardware, are not backported to -stable or merged post -rc1 either, I presume. Maybe they are better in getting stuff ready in time before merge windows open --- I don't know, I don't watch these subsystems. Maybe they have less trouble with closed or nonexisting specs...? -- Stefan Richter -=====-=-=== =--= -=--- http://arcgraph.de/sr/ - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
