[arch-general] Reboot - Versioned Kernel Installs

[KESHAV P.R.]

Hi all,
         Since the next kernel will be 3.0 , the kernel26 naming is
meaningless from the next kernel. I think this is also a good time to
consider implementing versioned kernel install. Agreed arch has a
policy of 1 package per software in the official repos. While this
attitude is acceptable for Xorg or windows managers or even some low
level utilities, problems with those can be corrected if the system
can boot to a shell atleast (init 1 or 3). But if the kernel fails to
boot and under the assumption that the user hdoes not have any rescue
system/distro handy he/she cannot boot into the system (atleast not at
that moment). Without a working kernel it is not possible to boot to a
shell to run any damn command.
        While this topic has already been discussed at [1] the
discussion was slow and has not lead to any fruitful result. This post
is mainly to reach out to a larger audience and decide on how to go
about since the upsteam version change provides the right time for
Arch to reconsider the same. Another discussion at [2] is about
removing the word kernel from the initramfs image. If in case
versioned kernel proposal is accepted then the initramfs also
(automatically) becomes versioned to match the kernel. Atleast Dave
Reisner (falconindy) took the first step by making the change in his
geninit program. I understand this might require changes in the way
mkinitcpio (or geninit if at all it becomes default) and the way
pacman handles different versions of same packages. Please join in.

[1] https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/16702
[2] https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/18719

Regards.

keshav