Oops.  Forgot to point out the typo in my original SLS post.
The disk sizes should have read

Minimal: 6 Meg.
Base:   20 Meg.
Base+X  30 Meg.

On another note, the problem with device drivers, is that
(as someone else pointed out) the extra complexity they pose
is not offset by an attendant gain in general functionality,
at least in some of our opinions.  Of course if someone were
to go ahead and do it (like how about those who most vocally
proclaim them), and adapted existing devices to them, I doubt
Linus would turn the difs away :-)

But hold on here, I am not just rambling, and yes there is a 
point.   A much easier task would be to modify the kernel 
slightly to allow some of the compile time options to be 
selected at run time instead, ala rootdev.  Like for instance:

keyboard type
startup video mode
ramdisk or no
# of pty's
# of VC's
max buffer size
swap ?

Perhaps, the word or two after the rootdev byte, could contain
an offset to a static data table in the kernel (or is there
enough room to just put it down there (Linus?).  Then a 
rootdev like program could be used to set these options
and one kernel could work for all (except those wising to
turf SCSI code etc.  They would still have to recompile).

I think I know already how to do most of this, but with SLS
am just to busy now.  The line has been drawn :-).

Peter.