Re: [PATCH] mmc: USB SDIO/SD/MMC Host Controller (VUB300) driver Re-Resubmission

[Tony Olech <tony.olech@elandigitalsystems.com>]

On Tue, 2011-04-19 at 14:10 +0200, Arnd Bergmann wrote:
> On Tuesday 19 April 2011, Tony Olech wrote:
> > The purpose of this read-only interface is for VUB300 support
> > staff to obtain information from our customers. Our customers
> > are not like the people on this list. If you have ever tried
> > to do telephone support you would appreciate the difficulty
> > of getting a non-technical person to first of all find the
> > log files and then to extract the correct lines. It therefore
> > follows that if the 1 or 4 bit mode is useful info for the 
> > VUB300 support staff, then this read-only interface is the
> > appropriate single place for it to be provided. The overhead
> > of providing such an interface is negligible and the existance
> > of such an interface demonstrates that linux is no longer
> > designed only for geeks.
> 
> Wrong answer.
> 
> You are missing the point. Sysfs is not the place where you can
> put random interfaces you want for you own needs. By adding
> files there, you create a support burden for everyone who now
> has to maintain backwards-compatibility.
> 
> You cannot seriously ask for inclusion of a kernel interface
> just to fit the use of your support team at the expense of
> everyone else.
> 
> Please remove the sysfs attributes from the driver before resubmitting.
> We can have a separate discussion about core interfaces that will
> help everyone and that are consistent with how Linux kernels are
> supported.
> 
> 	Arnd

You have not answered my points. If linux is to move from
the preserve of geeks, then support is an issue.

What is wrong in wanting to support non-technical users?
Especially since there are no backward compatible issues
involved at all.

Tony