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

[Martti Kühne]

On Fri, Mar 28, 2014 at 2:40 PM, Bigby James <bigby.james at crepcran.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Mar 28, 2014 at 12:01:06PM +0100, Martti Kühne wrote:
>> I'm very much for cleaning up the kernel config from things that
>> factually are useless.
>>
>
> "Factually useless" is not a subjective standard by which to measure things. If

I fully agree. Neither is common sense, obviously.

> you don't personally configure the features in question by installing
> third-party userspace packages then they are, in fact, useless to you. If you

Well, they came in when people argued in favor of them. [0]

> don't contribute code to the kernel, the kernel debugging features (which eat up
> a lot of build time) are almost certainly, in fact, useless to you. Such is the

I guess we all agree about the debugging features.

> case for everything found in the kernel: Someone, somewhere will find it useful,
> and that's a fact. Whether the majority of Arch users find it useful, and it
> therefore should be maintained by a limited staff with limited resources, is
> what's in question here.

If a justifiable amount of effort saves a significant amount of time
and energy for the few people who use it, I'm in favor of the security
features being there so I have them at my disposal in case I would
decide to experiment with them one day too. The hurdle to consider
such features is higher if they aren't in the official kernel, as
building a kernel takes time and caution. What will actually happen is
fully that person's decision who will or will not implement change.
And no, I'm not aware of any decisions around Arch needed any kind of
majority.

Good day.
mar77i

[0] https://mailman.archlinux.org/pipermail/arch-general/2013-November/034385.html