Re: Building a new kernel

[turnbull@example.com (Stephen J. Turnbull)]

>>>>> "Jim" == Jim Schweizer <schweiz@example.com> writes:

    Jim> Hi all, Hi y'all, It's been awful quiet lately - it must be
    Jim> time for another newbie question:-) When is this group going
    Jim> to attract someone who knows less than me about Linux???
    >> Wow!  Now THAT is a newbie question!
    >> 
    Jim> Before Steve T. gets his dander up, I've read all the HOWTOs
    >> You said you're a newbie, so I'm going to take you at your
    >> word.

    Jim> Steve, if you go back and look, until a few months ago I had
    Jim> never seen a man page. I figure I qualify as a newbie until I
    Jim> build my first kernel;-)

"Newbie is as newbie does."  Some people never were newbies, some
people never graduate from that state.  :-)

Seriously, there's all kinds of newbieness; you might never have seen
a man page because you'd programmed in Windows all your life, but
still know the ins and outs of GNU Make because you use DJGPP (a port
of the GNU C/C++ programming environment, including gdb, to the DOS
environment).  One has to be very careful about what a given "newbie"
may or may not know.  (I'm pretty sure it was you who brought up the
issue of JavaScript, which at that time I didn't know existed---I knew 
about Java byte-code, but not Netscape's use of Java syntax and
libraries for a scripting language.  Who's the newbie?)

Obviously you're a kernel hacking newbie until you build a
kernel---and for quite a while thereafter (like until you write a
driver ;-)  That doesn't mean you don't know how to program.

>>>>> "JWT" == Jim Tittsler <jwt@example.com> writes:

    Jim> When I type 'make config' I get dissed with:

    Jim> make: *** No rule to make target 'config'. Stop.

    ST> Question 1:  Can you read the Makefile?
    ST> Question 2:  Can you read the Makefile?

    JWT> And if it your answer was yes to both, you might consider:
    JWT>  Question 3:  Do I have an old version of GNU make which had a bug
    JWT>               that was masked by the old libc library?
	      
    JWT> I believe you would get the "no rule to make xxxx" message in that
    JWT> case as well.  If you have libc 5.2.x or newer, you should make sure
    JWT> you have make 3.74 compiled with the new libraries.

This is a special case of the "can't find file" problem (the bug
screwed up the file searching algorithm); I never saw it and don't
have an old make around to confirm, but that sounds like the likely
effect.  Since Jim S is working on an older Slackware system, he's
probably got libc 5.0.9, and I don't think this bug applies.

    JWT> I would also suggest 'make xconfig' (if you have X running) or
    JWT> 'make menuconfig' instead of 'make config'.  Much easier to 
    JWT> navigate.

I don't think these were available in 1.2.x kernel makefiles....  Jim
S is trying to replicate his 1.2.13 kernel.  Rebuilding your current
revision as a first step is usually a good idea, but it might make
sense for Jim to switch to working with a new kernel since the
configuration process is easier.

Steve

-- 
                           Stephen John Turnbull
University of Tsukuba                                        Yaseppochi-Gumi
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences  http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp/
Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, 305 JAPAN                 turnbull@example.com
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