Subject: New Kernel works great thanks! Now here's an offer to test what you're working on.

From: Patrick Callahan <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 02:07:19 -0400

I'd like to help with the development efforts in the kernal and the
FBDev X server.  Although I don't have enough expertise to code changes,
I do have enough to begin building and testing in an organized way.  You
provide me with a pre-built kernel,  as many sets of kernel arguments
and features you need tested on my Blue G3 rev 1 with Unimouse USB US
keyboard, ADB keyboard and ADB mouse, and I'll try to get it done.

Right now I've got Yellow Dog Linux's 2.2.12, and Linux PPC's
XFree86-3.3.5c.  These are working well together.

For starters I'll just run as many tests as I have time for.  But
condsider this:

It seems there's a lot of effort by individuals to get specific
functionality working on specific hardware they have access to.  From
here it looks like a fragmented and chaotic group effort.  (This has
advantages and disadvantages)  There is some form of communication going
on behind the scenes somewhere that eventually gets this material into
the main kernel tree.  (I need to understand this process in more
detail.)   I'm wondering if there any central registry of who is working
on what for the Kernel and XFree or is it a general free for all?
Would an easy means of registering such activity help?

How about the kind of testing I've offered above?  Would a registry of
people willing to do such tests help?  Could such a registry record
hardware and software configuration data from an individual's machine
and their results?  Could such a registery be consulted by those who are
struggling with installing Linux for the first time, or installing it on
a new combination of hardware.  Could it help reduce the number of
messages of the sort "my mfptymp framble won't work with kernel 2.2.6"

Anyone want to start a web site like this?

Comments? Suggestions? Flames? What?

-Pat

mfptymp framble?  Don't you have one of those yet?

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