From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S268211AbUHFRZQ (ORCPT ); Fri, 6 Aug 2004 13:25:16 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S266561AbUHFRWe (ORCPT ); Fri, 6 Aug 2004 13:22:34 -0400 Received: from shockwave.systems.pipex.net ([62.241.160.9]:30441 "EHLO shockwave.systems.pipex.net") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S268192AbUHFRUE (ORCPT ); Fri, 6 Aug 2004 13:20:04 -0400 Message-ID: <4113BDC0.6050604@tungstengraphics.com> Date: Fri, 06 Aug 2004 18:20:00 +0100 From: Keith Whitwell User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030922 X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Jon Smirl Cc: Ian Romanick , Dave Airlie , "DRI developer's list" , lkml Subject: Re: DRM function pointer work.. References: <20040806171641.14189.qmail@web14928.mail.yahoo.com> In-Reply-To: <20040806171641.14189.qmail@web14928.mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Jon Smirl wrote: > --- Keith Whitwell wrote: > >>Ian Romanick wrote: >> >>>Jon Smirl wrote: >>> >>> >>>>The only case I see a problem is when drm-core is compiled into >>>>the kernel. Why don't we just change the Makefile to default to >>>>copying the CVS code into the kernel source tree and tell the >>>>user to rebuild his kernel? >>> >>> >>>I don't think that will fly with Joe-user that just wants to >>>upgrade his graphics driver. The other problem case is if the >>>user has two graphics cards in his system. He wants to upgrade >>>the driver for one of them (or install a new driver for a new >>>card), but the interface between the device-independent >>>(in-kernel) layer and the device-dependent (in-kernel) layer >>>has changed. > > > fbdev is in exactly this model and it isn't causing anyone problems. > The simple rule is that if you want to upgrade fbdev past the current > version you have to do it in entirety. You do that for fbdev but > pulling bk://fbdev.bkbits.net/. But Joe user doesn't do that, that is > something only developers do. > > Distributions release new kernels all of the time. If Joe wants to > upgrade he graphics driver he should wait until we push it into the > kernel and it arrives via his distribution. If he really wants to be > bleeding edge he can copy the entirety of the DRM CVS into his kernel > tree. > > Linux doesn't have a stable driver binary interface. It isn't meant for > you to be able to upgrade one module while keeping the core and an > older module. > > The key here is that distributions release new kernels at a rapid pace. > This is not X where we get a new release every five years. The standard > mechanism for upgrading device drivers in Linux is to add them to the > kernel and wait for a release. If DRM uses that mechanism for > distribution we won't have problems. Sorry, I don't buy it. Graphics drivers are a special case and people upgrade them with a passion... No new interfaces, thankyou. Keith