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On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:23:18 +1200, Bobs wrote:

> Just installed all the new chipset drivers (network, sm bus, video etc)
> on my laptop and it didn't even need a restart. Great stuff. Gone are
> the horrible days of xp where you had to do a couple of restarts.

That is good news for MS Windows Administrators.

However, Linux users have never needed to restart their computer merely to get a driver going.


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On Sep 8, 11:32*pm, Carnations <Beauti...@Carnations.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:23:18 +1200, Bobs wrote:
> > Just installed all the new chipset drivers (network, sm bus, video etc)
> > on my laptop and it didn't even need a restart. Great stuff. Gone are
> > the horrible days of xp where you had to do a couple of restarts.
>
> That is good news for MS Windows Administrators.
>
> However, Linux users have never needed to restart their computer merely to get a driver going.

Never?

Not all Linux drivers have always worked as loadable modules. There
was even a time before loadable modules when all drivers had to
compiled in.

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Cheers
Anton

Carnations wrote:
> On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:23:18 +1200, Bobs wrote:
>
>> Just installed all the new chipset drivers (network, sm bus, video
>> etc) on my laptop and it didn't even need a restart. Great stuff.
>> Gone are the horrible days of xp where you had to do a couple of
>> restarts.
>
> That is good news for MS Windows Administrators.
>
> However, Linux users have never needed to restart their computer
> merely to get a driver going.
>
Not 'never', Lennier. Just not for ages. You used to have to recompile
the kernel to include or update a driver, but at some stage modules
which could link in to the kernel directly were introduced and the rest
is as you say.

Cheers,

Cliff

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On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:57:16 +1200, Enkidu wrote:

> Not 'never', Lennier. Just not for ages. You used to have to recompile
> the kernel to include or update a driver, but at some stage modules
> which could link in to the kernel directly were introduced and the rest
> is as you say.

Weren't modules introduced in Linux 1.2? That was well over 12 years ago and more like 15 or so
years ago.

I've never had to recompile a kernel because I changed a piece of hardware and needed to include a
different or updated driver in the kernel and I've been using Linux boxen since 2000.

The only time a reboot is required is so that a new kernel can be loaded into RAM. Presumably even
that will be sorted out before too long.

We've seen more than 5 different major iterations of MS windows in that time, and numerous "service
packs", and Microsoft has only just recently figured out that a reboot is not required in order to install
software or hardware "drivers".


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"Filtering the Internet is like trying to boil the ocean"

On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:08:17 -0700, AD. wrote:

> Not all Linux drivers have always worked as loadable modules. There was
> even a time before loadable modules when all drivers had to compiled in.

That was Linux kernel version 1.0 - way back in the very early-mid '90s. Version 1.2 introduced
loadable kernel modules and for about the last 15 years reboots have never been required.


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On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:57:16 +1200, Enkidu <> wrote:

>Carnations wrote:
>> On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:23:18 +1200, Bobs wrote:
>>
>>> Just installed all the new chipset drivers (network, sm bus, video
>>> etc) on my laptop and it didn't even need a restart. Great stuff.
>>> Gone are the horrible days of xp where you had to do a couple of
>>> restarts.
>>
>> That is good news for MS Windows Administrators.
>>
>> However, Linux users have never needed to restart their computer
>> merely to get a driver going.
>>
>Not 'never', Lennier. Just not for ages. You used to have to recompile
>the kernel to include or update a driver, but at some stage modules
>which could link in to the kernel directly were introduced and the rest
>is as you say.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Cliff

Um, when I installed the nVidia driver on Kubuntu it wanted a reboot.

On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:36:26 +1200, Cima wrote:

> Um, when I installed the nVidia driver on Kubuntu it wanted a reboot.

I understand that is a binary blob that is not a proper kernel module like all GPL'd kernel modules.


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"Filtering the Internet is like trying to boil the ocean"

Carnations wrote:
> On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:08:17 -0700, AD. wrote:
>
>> Not all Linux drivers have always worked as loadable modules. There was
>> even a time before loadable modules when all drivers had to compiled in.
>
> That was Linux kernel version 1.0 - way back in the very early-mid '90s. Version 1.2 introduced
> loadable kernel modules and for about the last 15 years reboots have never been required.

Another unprovable claim about Linux from a 'Linux advocate'...
(why do they think they have to make these unprovable claims put Linux
in a 'good light' I have to ask myself (again))

Do you want to explain why I had to reboot Ubuntu 9.04 TWICE (with the
latest Linux kernel) after installing the graphics driver for my NVidia
FX5200 card?
And had to reboot after installing the driver for my Epsom Stylus photo
890?

Surely my install is not so unique that I'm the only Linux user in the
whole world (or 'Linux community' if you prefer) that has had to reboot
after installing drivers?

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On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:16:08 +1200, Max Burke wrote:

> Surely my install is not so unique that I'm the only Linux user in the
> whole world (or 'Linux community' if you prefer) that has had to reboot
> after installing drivers?

You're using Kubuntu. I've never used that distribution and can't offer any comments on whether what
you're doing is true for Linux as a whole or just for that particular distribution.

Good that you've chosen KDE as your desktop environment - I think that's the most user-customisable
desktop.

Have you tried using SuSE?


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"Filtering the Internet is like trying to boil the ocean"

Carnations wrote:
> On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:36:26 +1200, Cima wrote:

>> Um, when I installed the nVidia driver on Kubuntu it wanted a reboot.

> I understand that is a binary blob that is not a proper kernel module like all GPL'd kernel modules.

You understand incorrectly. (nothing new there)

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