scott <sco### [at] scottcom> wrote:
> In Windows you just install a driver, why do you need to recompile the 
> kernel?

  It's the classical monolithic kernel vs. microkernel war. There are
advantages and disadvantages in both methods.

  For example, one disadvantage of Windows is that each new version of
Windows always breaks a bunch of old drivers, so when you upgrade Windows
you may find out that your old peripheral just doesn't work anymore.

  When the driver is integrated into the kernel, like in linux, it will
obviously always work even if the kernel is seriously updated (because
all the embedded drivers will be updated for the new kernel design as
well).

  OTOH linux does support kernel modules. For example, if you want to
install, let's say, the ATI binary driver, you don't need to recompile
the kernel.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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