Should Linux Have a Binary Kernel Driver Layer?

zerojoker writes "The discussion is not new but was heated up by a blog entry from Greg Kroah-Hartman: Three OSDL Japan members, namely Fujitsu, NEC and Hitachi are pushing for a stable Kernel driver layer/API, so that driver developers wouldn't need to put their drivers into the main kernel tree. GKH has several points against such an idea." What do you think?

Oh, I'm all for it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux, with the stability of Windows prior to the advent of certified drivers.

Good idea!

[Anonymous Coward]

Lets put it in Kernal 2.7.
Oh wait... OOPS!

Re:No Thanks!

[Speare]

Come on, can't we see through this Cathedral-driven charade? There's no rational thought behind Intelligent Drivers. It's all just a dogmatic rehash of the same old Closed Source thinking forced upon our Open Source kernel laboratories! I say, send these Intelligent Drivers ideologues back to Kansas where they came from!

Re:Good idea!

[Anonymous Coward]

OOPS

subtle...

Re:No Thanks!

[b1t r0t]

Come on, can't we see through this Cathedral-driven charade? There's no rational thought behind Intelligent Drivers. It's all just a dogmatic rehash of the same old Closed Source thinking forced upon our Open Source kernel laboratories! I say, send these Intelligent Drivers ideologues back to Kansas where they came from!

What, you want to support Flying Spaghetti Code Drivers or something?

*I* have an idea!

[Anonymous Coward]

Reimplement Linux as a microkernel with user-mode binary drivers!

Re:Stability like that leads to stagnation and dea

[Kazoo the Clown]

One of Linux's great strengths is the flexibility of changing to meet new needs and not being hobbled by rigid backwards compatibility.

Yeah, let's hobble it with dependency hell instead.

Re:Good idea!

[chphilli]

Is that "OOPS, I can't spell kernel?" ;)