Re: PROBLEM: floppy motor spins when floppy module not installed

[Joshua Schmidlkofer]

> Yes, and I recall we agreed to disagree where the FDC stop must
> be put, but we both agreed that it must be stopped. I still contend
> that since the Linux startup code takes control away from the BIOS,
> it's that codes responsibility to turn OFF things that the BIOS
> might have left ON.
> 
> Funny thing. It's so trivial, anybody/everybody could turn the
> floppy motor off, but all the fingers point to somebody else's
> code.
> 
> It's a bug in Linux, not in a boot-loader. That bug was covered up
> until the FDC code got modularized. Once we were able to compile
> a kernel without the FDC, the bug was exposed. So, I suggest that
> we just fix the bug and be done with it. It's not a performance
> problem, the write to the port occurs exactly once during the nest
> 999 days of up-time. It's just an attempt to make a mountain out
> of a mole-hill.


We have had (do have?) several cases of optional "this workaround", or
"that workaround" as per-hardware config options.  If this is that
objectionable for genral consumption then someone ought to submit a
patch to do the dirty deed but put it in as a configurable workaround
(CONFIG_TURNFLOPPYOFF=Y/N), and leave it at that. [For maximum
perversity, it could also be a MODULE.] This does not affect everyone
right?  I have never tried booting w/o the floppy module, so I really
don't know about my system.   


js

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