The aim of this software is to make reporting kernel oopses possible
for inexperienced users, in a way which doesn't violate their privacy
by sending out information without their knowledge.  The days of ever
Linux user being able to set up a serial console have long gone.

The hope is that significant feedback will allow statistical analysis
of hardware and software combinations, making the Linux Kernel more
stable.  Since most Linux users are on x86, with IDE disks, this is
the first aim of the oops dumper.

*Any* crashes are bad, but users tend to ignore a once-a-month lockup
(eg. panic while in X).  Hopefully this code will allow some of those
bug reports to make it back to us.

I hope that distribution vendors will pick this up, perhaps arming the
module after noticing an unclean filesystem at boot (it does, after
all, take about 60k to hold the compressed kernel symbols).  I also
ask that they coordinate with the Oops Team to arrange for a single
public anonomyzed database where users and coders can query for
problems.

Cheers!
Rusty.
Sep 16 2002.
