Re: [PATCH] Make vm86 support optional

From: Adrian Bunk
Date: Thu Dec 29 2005 - 14:05:27 EST


On Thu, Dec 29, 2005 at 12:47:18PM -0600, Matt Mackall wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 29, 2005 at 05:39:00AM +0100, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> > On Wed, Dec 28, 2005 at 02:27:35PM -0600, Matt Mackall wrote:
> > >...
> > > +config VM86
> > > + depends X86
> > > + default y
> > > + bool "Enable VM86 support" if EMBEDDED
> > > + help
> > > + This option is required by programs like DOSEMU to run 16-bit legacy
> > > + code on X86 processors. It also may be needed by software like
> > > + XFree86 to initialize some video cards via BIOS. Disabling this
> > > + option saves about 6k.
> > >...
> >
> > I don't like such space statements ("about 6k") in help texts, since
> > history has shown that noone updates them when the actual size
> > changes...
>
> What would you prefer? It's important to give a relative size vs
> functionality savings so people can decide whether they want a feature
> and simply saying a little/a lot is insufficient.

I'd expect people using the "enable only if you know what you are doing"
EMBEDDED option to be able to figure out themselves how big a space
saving is (and even more important whether they can actually live
without the feature). 

cu
Adrian

--

"Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
"Only a promise," Lao Er said.
Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed

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