Topic: Can't build any working modules for any of 3 chumby devices.
I'm attempting to build a module. All I need is the /lib/modules/(version)/build directory.
It doesn't exist. Nor can I regenerate it. The GPL does specify source for the specific distributed binaries and other companies when they do a GPL source dump have a script or readme that does so - not piles of random tarballs and confusing instructions on how to build something completely different that might run on the hardware.
You don't have the full instructions on how to do it on a PC if that is what you originally use (or it isn't working), and on the chumby itself, it takes a full day. And then the modversions are still wrong so it is a different kernel and modules so won't work anyway.
Why is it so difficult to distribute the build directory, or leave the critical components (Modules.symvers, include/autoconf.h, etc.) in the kernel tarball so that the make can be validated or so I could build a new module or patch an existing one without rebuilding the entire kernel? I would also know that the tarball was the one for the existing pre-installed binary instead of having to guess.
If you don't have the build directories and there is a way to rebuild the specific kernel for any current model or update, it would help if you would provide a script doing the appropriate wgets, patches, etc. for any distribution of linux or even anything else. Even if it would work on the chumby, even if I had to do it on a larger SD card. Get the network up, do "sh ./build-exact-chumby-kernel-hackerboard.sh", and come back in a day or an hour. (Even an ISO live linux image that would build the exact binary!)
I've been building kernels since Linux 0.9x and have code in the kernel. I'm not stupid. I might want to build a plain open embedded one day, and if I have a working kernel, why should I build one that differs in one untraceable trivial way but changes the modversions? I would really like to build ONE STUPID MODULE THAT WOULD LOAD ON MY HACKER BOARD this weekend. Why should it be such a nightmare?
I would also note the partition table is still broken (the first boot partition overlaps both root partitions) so most partition editors can't be used to expand the size of any partition and fdisk doesn't work to delete and recreate (wants to start at 2048, not 4). Also the lipo connector is BACKWARD if you get the battery compartment and door from a real chumby (sparkfun).