[PATCH 5/5] Docs: software-requirements.rst replace optional tag with footnotes

From: Manuel Ebner

Date: Wed Aug 12 2026 - 08:40:33 EST


The optional tag isn't obvious nor defined. Therefore replace with footnotes
like the one of Sphinx.

Signed-off-by: Manuel Ebner <manuelebnerli@xxxxxxxxxxx>
---
.../process/software-requirements.rst | 22 ++++++++++++-------
1 file changed, 14 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/process/software-requirements.rst b/Documentation/process/software-requirements.rst
index 5fdfcf6a0c01..a31e0ae20498 100644
--- a/Documentation/process/software-requirements.rst
+++ b/Documentation/process/software-requirements.rst
@@ -33,20 +33,20 @@ you probably do not need to concern yourself with pcmciautils.
====================== =============== ========================================
bash 4.2 bash --version
bc 1.06.95 bc --version
-bindgen (optional) 0.71.1 bindgen --version
+bindgen [#f1]_ 0.71.1 bindgen --version
binutils 2.30 ld -v
bison 2.0 bison --version
btrfs-progs 0.18 btrfs --version
-Clang/LLVM (optional) 17.0.1 clang --version
+Clang/LLVM [#f2]_ 17.0.1 clang --version
e2fsprogs 1.41.4 e2fsck -V
flex 2.5.35 flex --version
gdb 7.2 gdb --version
-GNU awk (optional) 5.1.0 gawk --version
+GNU awk [#f3]_ 5.1.0 gawk --version
GNU C 8.1 gcc --version
GNU make 4.0 make --version
GNU tar 1.28 tar --version
GRUB 0.93 grub --version || grub-install --version
-gtags (optional) 6.6.5 gtags --version
+gtags [#f4]_ 6.6.5 gtags --version
ip-route2 6.14.0 ip -V
iptables 1.4.2 iptables -V
jfsutils 1.1.3 fsck.jfs -V
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ kmod 13 kmod -V
liblzma 5.8.1 lzma -V
lzop 1.04 lzop -V
mcelog 0.6 mcelog --version
-mkimage (optional) 2017.01 mkimage --version
+mkimage [#f5]_ 2017.01 mkimage --version
nfs-utils 1.0.5 showmount --version
openssl & libcrypto 1.0.0 openssl version
pahole 1.26 pahole --version
@@ -63,8 +63,8 @@ PPP 2.4.0 pppd --version
procps 3.2.0 ps --version
Python 3.9.x python3 --version
quota-tools 3.09 quota -V
-Rust (optional) 1.85.0 rustc --version
-Sphinx\ [#f1]_ 3.4.3 sphinx-build --version
+Rust [#f6]_ 1.85.0 rustc --version
+Sphinx\ [#f7]_ 3.4.3 sphinx-build --version
squashfs-tools 4.0 mksquashfs -version
udev 081 udevadm --version
util-linux 2.10o mount --version
@@ -72,7 +72,13 @@ xfsprogs 2.6.0 xfs_db -V
xz 5.8.1 xz -V
====================== =============== ========================================

-.. [#f1] Sphinx is needed only to build the Kernel documentation
+.. [#f1] bindgen is needed to generate Rust bindings
+.. [#f2] Clang/LLVM is an alternative to GNU C (gcc)
+.. [#f3] awk is needed with CONFIG_BUILTIN_MODULE_RANGES set
+.. [#f4] gtags is there to generate tag files through ``make gtags``
+.. [#f5] mkimage is used when building a Flat Image Tree (FIT)
+.. [#f6] Rust is only required when enabled
+.. [#f7] Sphinx is needed only to build the Kernel documentation

Kernel compilation
******************
--
2.54.0