Strictly speaking, its not needed if you only want to compile the kernel once,
and never change your configuration. You have to fool the top level Makefile
into thinking its already been run though. Something like this should work:
cd /usr/src/linux
cat /dev/null >.depends
cat /dev/null >.hdepends
make zImage
If you want to modify files, especially include files, it is absolutly
necessary to run make dep to ensure that all the necessary files are remade.
The make dep script in Linux tries to be smart enough so that you do not have
to run it after you change the configuration file (This is one reason it
does not use gcc -M). Thus you should hopefully only have to run it once.
> b. IMHO 'gawk -f ....../depend.awk *[hcS]` can be replaced by:
> grep #include *[hcS] > tmpfile
> small_C(!!!)_prog tmpfile > .depend
> or
> grep #include *[hcS] | small_prog > .depend
This certainly could be done, but I really doubt that it would be any faster.
> c. make dep takes ~1-2h on 386sx25/4Mb :-((
> It AT LEAST depends unneeded files - like scsi in 1.
This is so you can change the configuration to include SCSI and not have to
rerun make dep.
> d. make dep depends ALL - including linux/include - ANY time it runs :-((
This is perhaps an area that could be improved. However, my idea when I wrote
the script was that you would only run make dep once. If you only run it
once, it would have to do all these files anyway. (Of course if you change
in include files, or add include files to .c files, you have to rerun
make dep).
> e. IMHO if I install kernel src in /usr/src && I haven't modify it ->
> `make dep` that was made by my friend will b SAME (right?) If yes,
> then maybe in linux-x.x.xx.tar.gz must be all dependencies?
Yes, it would be possible to include the .depends files in with the kerenl
source. Of course then the problem is that everyone is downloading something
that they could recreate locally. Perhaps the best option would be to have
a make dummydepend option which would create an empty .depends files for people
who just want to recompile a kernel with a single configuration option, and
dont want to do any hacking. I have been meaning for almost a year to do
some more work on the Makefiles, and I have not had time. I just found out
I have mono, so I may have a lot of time on my hands (of course I should
probably spend it sleeping). I will put that option into the Makefile and
see if Linus likes it.
Jim