[arch-general] [arch-dev-public] Trimming down our default kernel configuration

[Kevin Ott]

On Thursday, March 27, 2014 04:45:24 PM Arthur Țițeică wrote:
> My opinion on this is that the kernel should be the ground on which
> userspace should always work.
> 
> Features should be taken out with bug reports demonstrating 
breakage in
> general usage, slowdowns or security risks.
> 
> Another important point of view should be the maintenance required to
> support these seldom used features and I have nothing to comment 
on this.
> 
> Specifically regarding slowdowns, my layman opinion on this is that 
they are
> meaningless in the general usage of the -ARCH kernel.
> 
> If taking out theoretically useful features out of the kernel means that 
in
> the end we gain 2 Mb of free memory or Apache is able to sustain 
10500
> connections instead of 10000 I personally don't see it as good 
bargain.

This seems like it doesn't exactly fit with the Arch Way though. Arch is 
supposed to be simple and minimal. Why should the default be "add all 
the features" for a distribution that is partially based on being minimal 
and lightweight?

I guess I just don't see the reason for adding in feature by default that 
so few people will actually use. And the people who will be using it 
should have the knowledge and ability  to build their own kernel that will 
have those features enabled.