>>If the ne2000-PCI can probe and it does not, this is linux which looks
>>unsophisticated. This is bad.
>
> Either Donald Becker or Paul Gortmaker, I think, made the decision to
> use the auto-probe results only if invoked as a "non-module". Noone has
> the "argumentation power" to change this without hearing "why" they
> did it, and any arguing should stop until they explained it.
I'm sure that decision was made a long time ago, when only the ISA
bus NE2000 existed and modular kernels were not used on install
disks. Probing for the ISA bus version is somewhat dangerous, but
that should not be a reason to leave out PCI probing. It is not
really probing even, you just ask. PCI is nice about that.