The interface IS the source code [LWN.net]

The interface IS the source code

Posted Apr 25, 2006 20:13 UTC (Tue) by rickmoen (subscriber, #6943)
In reply to: The interface IS the source code by elanthis
Parent article: Some notes on Linux and free drivers

elantis wrote:

And, because no distro in its right mind supports wholesale kernel upgrades in a distribution release's lifetime....

This, of course, is a pile of foetid dingo's kidneys. You could have:

Installed using the standard Breezy image, provided at least your mass storage host adapter was supported, and then fetched a newer kernel to support the rest of your bleeding-edge hardware.
Used a third-party Debian-compatible image (e.g., a netinst) using a recent kernel, and then cut over using apt-get.
Used the Dapper pre-release installation image. (And why not, sir? It's quite good -- and probably a lot less buggy than the hardware in that "new box" you built.)
Temporarily put your hard drive into an older box, installed Breezy, fetched a newer kernel, moved your hard drive back.
Compiled the one or two drivers you needed, put them on a USB flash drive, and insmod-ed them into the Breezy installer when needed.

The reason nobody's going to hand you a guaranteed-stable binary driver interface, no matter how much you complain, are compelling and amply explained. If you insist on using obscure or bleeding-edge hardware, you have ways to deal with the problem you've imposed on yourself -- far more than you claimed were your "only options".

Alternatively, you're more than welcome to fork the kernel and maintain a "stable API", yourself. Please do: It'd be fun to watch.

Rick Moen
rick@linuxmafia.com

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