bootsplash patch does nothing

[rocketpcguy]

i read the docs, but when i tried
patch -p1 < /usr/src/bootsplash-3.0.7-2.4.24-vanilla.diff
inside the linux-2.4.24 folder (untarred from kernel.org)
but it does nothing, no messages or errors.

slackware 9.1

[rocketpcguy]

oops, the file was 0 bytes, i got a proper one and it works!