Re: [gentoo-user] New network cards default to "Y" with "make oldconfig"

[Dale]

Rich Freeman wrote:
> On Sun, Mar 24, 2019 at 1:02 PM Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com> wrote:
>> Rich Freeman wrote:
>>> Suppose you have an Acme model 1234 network card.  You've previously
>>> answered Yes to enabling its driver, and No to enabling the Acme model
>>> 2345 card.
>>>
>>> Now a new option comes along to show/hide all the Acme cards.  That is
>>> a new option, so it has no existing value as far as the config
>>> database design goes.  If you answer No, then you disable your model
>>> 1234 card (without even being asked, because that isn't a new option).
>>> If you answer yes then effectively your previous choices remain in
>>> effect (model 1234 remains enabled, and model 2345 remains disabled).
>>>
>> One would think it should ask if you want any ACME drivers first.  If
>> you say yes then ask which ones you want.  If you answer no then disable
>> them all and move to the Better-than-nothing drivers next in the list,
>> assuming the are alphabetical.
> This is exactly what it is doing.  There is a new question about
> whether you want any ACME drivers.  It defaults to Yes.  If you answer
> Yes then it prompts you for each individual driver, though it will
> skip those prompts since you've already answered them.
>
> If you answer No then it will set all the individual drivers to No
> (including the ones you previously set to Yes), and not prompt you
> further.
>
>> Once you get past that driver, nothing
>> else should disable the drivers you wanted.
> But the drivers you wanted WERE Acme drivers, so if you answered No to
> that question why would it prompt for those?
>
> You can see how defaulting to No on these sorts of questions can be
> more dangerous, because it can cause you to reverse decisions you
> previously made, while defaulting to Yes on the big questions (that
> don't actually build anything), and defaulting to No on the little
> questions (which do build things) has the result that if you accept
> all the defaults you keep the same kernel build you had before.
>
> If you answer Yes to whether you want ACME drivers it won't actually
> build any drivers - you have to enable those individually, and those
> questions presumably still default to No.
>


The point I was making is once set to yes, then questions after that
should not go back and disable what you said yes too.  If a person goes
to the trouble of saying yes, then nothing after that should reverse
that option back to no.  From what I understand, if it asks a question
later on and you say no, it reverses a previous yes even if you want
that first one included.  If nothing else, maybe it should point out a
conflict so that a person can check into it further. 

As with anything tho, if it is done any other way, it to would cause
confusion too.  This is nothing new really.  It's like having a option
hidden until you enable some other option in another part of the config
screen.  You know where the option you want to enable is supposed to be
but it is hidden because a option somewhere else isn't enabled.  Then
you have to find out what to enable so that you can see the one you
want.  I've ran into that a couple times and it is fun to figure out.  lol 

Dale

:-)  :-)