From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S965378AbXCFReX (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 Mar 2007 12:34:23 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S965381AbXCFReX (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 Mar 2007 12:34:23 -0500 Received: from mail.tmr.com ([64.65.253.246]:58869 "EHLO gaimboi.tmr.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S965378AbXCFReW (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 Mar 2007 12:34:22 -0500 Message-ID: <45EDA6A3.7010109@tmr.com> Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2007 12:36:35 -0500 From: Bill Davidsen User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8.0.8) Gecko/20061105 SeaMonkey/1.0.6 MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Linux Kernel mailing List Subject: CONFIG_SYSFS_DEPRECATED and similar issues Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Just a few comments on changes like this in general. Prompted by, but not otherwise related to the subject. When any new feature in the kernel requires significant changes in userspace, attention should be given to documenting the user items which must change. Now "attention" doesn't mean handwaving b.s. like "user programs which depend on sysfs will need to be modified." It means a list of which common user features need to be updated and where to find new ones. That's what the whole Documentation directory is for, but it's rarely used for such a purpose. In the most recent case, a user tool is needed which doesn't even exist as a release. The other issue is to avoid "trap door" changes, which occur when a kernel change requires new user tools, and the user tools will not run with older kernels. That includes missing major features like having a display and being able to mount filesystems, even if the kernel is technically running. When there were stable and development kernel series that was not so much of an issue, now that every kernel is an adventure it would be nice to ensure that testing a new kernel is not an irrevocable step. -- Bill Davidsen "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from the machinations of the wicked." - from Slashdot