There are tons of uses for these old machines, I really think it's a bad
idea to remove support, since the hardware still isn't much different
from mainstream systems. BTW, most PC machines use edge-triggered, and
*should* automatically reset when INTACK occurs, unless your machine
somehow crashes so that it won't reset... and removing edge trigger
support will kill ISA...
I would suggest that you try compiling that kernel again, on perhaps
another machine. Check your hardware a bit. Also, could it possibly be
that you have a MCA machine like the PS2/55sx? I don't have much
experience with the 55sx (since Chris Beauguard says it should work fine
with normal kernels), but I hear that MCA, if you don't compile with MCA
kernel support, will crash the computer with irq0 stuck asserted (makes
sense, in a true level-triggered interrupt system.)
[on a side note, I have a PS2 80 (386DX20) that I have linux/MCA running
on. It pukes when trying to fsck a drive. It turns out the drive is
dying and that's why it's crashing.]
-bc