I wholeheartly agree with ❝devices people depend on to keep them alive would be running a -- version of the Linux kernel with anything unnecessary stripped out❞.
But the part with a ❝modified version (...) and probably a lot of custom stuff❞ made be shudder.
The Linux kernel is a very well maintained piece of software, and whenever, in the embedded world, I've seen modification or larger forks of the stock/mainline kernel, they always were of worse quality and had more bugs than what I (or everyone else) has gotten used to when running mainline code (as is customary on your normal x86 PCs).
That's because code-review actually works in Linux, and while it makes it sometimes very hard to get new features in, the ones that make it are usually well vettet.
Re:Write your first Linux kernel module
by thegeomaster on Friday May 30, 2014 @09:19AM
(#7821564)
I agree. But I think kernel contributors should do their absolute best to ensure the code is as bug-free as possible. There are irresponsible sysadmins who'd use a Linux kernel where there is no place for a Linux kernel to be, and just because of that alone it would be a good idea to be paranoid when pushing to Linux mainline.
I'm pretty sure what ever devices people depend on to keep them alive would be running a modified version of the Linux kernel with anything unnecessary stripped out and probably a lot of custom stuff.
They wouldn't just download it from kernel.org and throw it on there. I would hope not at least.