understanding hardware support

[Debee Norling]

>I highly suggest you consider just installing one of the Linux
distributions instead of tweaking zipspeak to meet this
>particular need, and the next particular need, and the one after that, etc.

You are probably right. I will work on clearing off a hard disk on my
desktop this weekend to do that. I literally couldn't figure out how to get
another distro on the laptop; its floppy isn't supported by Linux and I have
no PCMCIA CD-rom.  and I guess I convinced myself that having a
stripped-down Linux and having to tweak it would be a fantastic way to
learn.

It's typical of me that I frequently try doing things the hard way. What
intrigues me about having Linux on a laptop, rather than my desktop at home,
is that I can use my otherwise borring commute to actively learn stuff.
Also, I could take it around to people when I need help.  You know, just
open my purse and show them the error message!

But what I need most now is just a clearer definition of terms. People bandy
about these terms with no definitions, so are moddules, device drivers and
kernel patches all the same thing? What's the difference between a
"loadable" module, an "external" module and the other kind of modules?

I understand that compiling your own kernel lets you build a personal
system, so you're including drivers only for your personal hardware.  But
I've also been told that loading external modules does this too. And I've
been told that kernels include some hardware support already, that kernels
load modules automatically, that support for a particular device won't be
enabled unless you edit a specific file, etc. And then there are patches and
drivers, which may or may not be synonyms.

When I got started in computing, some two decades ago, it drove me crazy to
read about installing, configuring, setting up, and initializing. Manuals
would contain passages like: "First initialize your disk, after you've
patched the bdos for your video controller,  then you can set up to begin
installing and configuring your system."  I feel a little like this today
with Linux, and the vague way in which much about hardware support is
documented.

I've been a technical writer, so I find myself screaming about the lack of
clarity and precision.

--Debee