Harald Hoyer wrote:
Compiling these modules, which are loaded on nearly every PC, in the kernel cuts down my boot time from 42s to 32s on my computer:
ata_generic ata_piix cdrom dm_mirror dm_mod dm_snapshot dm_zero ehci_hcd ext3 floppy i2c_core jbd libata mbcache ohci_hcd parport parport_pc pata_acpi scsi_mod sd_mod sg snd snd_mixer_oss snd_page_alloc snd_pcm snd_pcm_oss snd_seq snd_seq_device snd_seq_dummy snd_seq_midi_event snd_seq_oss snd_timer soundcore sr_mod uhci_hcd
It also makes it much more difficult to troubleshoot those subsystems or work around their quirks. I wouldn't have a problem with ext3, jbd, or dm_* being built-in, but anything that deals with hardware should really be modular. Of course, that wipes out most of your list.
I'd really rather focus on optimizing modprobe than sacrificing the many benefits of modularity for a very small performance boost.
-- Chris