Linux
Welcome to c/linux!
Welcome to our thriving Linux community! Whether you're a seasoned Linux enthusiast or just starting your journey, we're excited to have you here. Explore, learn, and collaborate with like-minded individuals who share a passion for open-source software and the endless possibilities it offers. Together, let's dive into the world of Linux and embrace the power of freedom, customization, and innovation. Enjoy your stay and feel free to join the vibrant discussions that await you!
Rules:
-
Stay on topic: Posts and discussions should be related to Linux, open source software, and related technologies.
-
Be respectful: Treat fellow community members with respect and courtesy.
-
Quality over quantity: Share informative and thought-provoking content.
-
No spam or self-promotion: Avoid excessive self-promotion or spamming.
-
No NSFW adult content
-
Follow general lemmy guidelines.
view the rest of the comments
Primarily if you want some functionality that isn't mainlined, or isn't released as stable yet.
Like hibernate in lockdown mode, or out of tree drivers, or maybe something new coming up in the emulation support world like NTSync, though I think that last example was mainlined by now.
Yeah NTSync is in kernel 7.0x
Woah, I didn’t know they were working on those features. Thanks for sharing!
Drivers are usually loaded as modules, aren't they?
I'm not that certain to be honest. But the following is my best understanding:
Most drivers are included directly in the kernel source.
They can be compiled built-in directly to the kernel binary, or they can be compiled as loadable kernel modules. I don't know how the proportions between the two options look, but at least the essential drivers (chipsets, filesystems, etc) should be compiled in to allow the boot to progress enough that module loading works.
There are some, like the Nvidia proprietary GPU driver, that are provided only in binary form as loadable kernel modules.
I also understand that a lot of smartphone drivers are developed out-of-tree against older branches of the Linux kernel. Even those that are made public / open sourced, end up living outside the mainline kernel, and the devs of third party android builds have to cherry pick them into their kernel source.
I think at least the last group should count as an example of a reason of the type for what OP was looking for.