The generic kernels provided by distributions like Ubuntu or Fedora are marvels of compatibility, but they are also massive. They contain drivers for hardware you will never own and features you will never use. For the power user, this is unacceptable. True control over the hardware begins with `make menuconfig`. By stripping away the unnecessary, we reduce the attack surface and the memory footprint of the core OS.
Start by identifying your hardware using `lspci` and `lsusb`. When configuring the kernel, disable support for amateur radio, obsolete file systems, and hardware vendors you don't use. The goal is to create a monolithic kernel that includes exactly what is needed to boot your specific machine and nothing more. This results in faster boot times and a system that responds with surgical precision because the CPU isn't wasting cycles on unused modules.
Compiling your own kernel is the ultimate expression of the 'No Formatting' philosophy—instead of reinstalling, you are refining the very heart of the system. Use `make localmodconfig` as a starting point to automatically detect loaded modules, then manually prune the rest. We don't just use the hardware; we dominate it by ensuring every line of code running in ring 0 is there by design.