Kernel Configuration Part XXIV

Kernel Configuration - Part XXIV

Input core support has made a great deal of difference in the usability of Linux

over the past few years. Up to patches of the 2.2.x kernel, Linux did not
support USB devices. That meant that, unlike the statement in yesterday’s
GnomeCORE, you might have had to buy a new mouse or keyboard or, at a minimum,
adapters to plug such USB devices into normal PS/2 type ports. In other words,
you’d have to adjust your devices to suit the choice of Linux, rather than being

included under the “big tent.”

Input core support provides the I/O level drivers that make USB work in Linux.
Because input core support is required as one element of USB-style device
communication, the major distributions (Red Hat, Mandrake and Suse) all come
“out of the box” with this support. It’s a good move, really. Most new and
reasonably new machines have at least one USB device attached. Personally, I
have a USB mouse, keyboard and PDA. The low level USB capabilities that input
core support provides makes it possible to use these devices virtually from the
install on.

As always, input core support, when selected in the kernel configuration, offers

a full range of devices and protocol options. While the default settings will
suit most, you can only truly customize your system if you’ve made yourself
cognizant of the style of devices you’ll attach to the machine. Again,
configuring your kernel to meet the precise needs of your machine is a good
goal, but if, in your case, it’s not necessarily realistic, the defaults should
work fine. In any case, if you’re using USB devices, you’ll need input core
support.

More kernel stuff tomorrow …