Hi: Kernel 2.2.18 was a pretty major release. They back-ported a lot of stuff from kernel 2.4 and changed some crucial console stuff. It was not so much a case of we must have kernel 2.2.18, it was more a case of support kernel 2.2.18 and above or support kernel 2.2.17 and below, not both. Since it was an either or situation and speakup 0.09 supports the earlier kernels just fine, the choice was pretty obvious, particularly considering that kernel 2.4test10 underwent similar changes at the same time. As for kernel trees, surely there are european mirrors for the kernel source? You can get a list from www.kernel.org. Oh and there are always the upgrade patches if you already have a fresh older tree. Geoff.
