Re: [Qemu-devel] GSoC mentor summit QEMU users session

[Gerd Hoffmann <kraxel@redhat.com>]

  Hi,

> If we get the qdev rework done then I think we're probably in
> a better position to have a plugin framework for devices. (There
> are some issues about API and ABI stability guarantees, of course.)

One of the qdev intended benefits is to have pretty much self-contained
device emulation.  If doesn't work equally well everythere.  For alot of
-- for example -- PCI devices it does work nicely though.  Adding a
device is simply a matter of dropping a file into the tree and a line
into the Makefile and you are done.  The device is available to be used
via -device.  So the cost of maintaining stuff out-of-tree isn't that
big as you almost never have patch conflict issues.

For embedded stuff it is usually a bit trickier as the device
interconnects are hard-coded in the board creation bits and devices
can't be hooked up using -device (or some other generic mechanism which
uses -- say -- device trees) ...

cheers,
  Gerd