Re: devicetree repository separation/migration

[Frank Rowand <frowand.list-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org>]

On 2/19/2014 1:12 PM, Rob Herring wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 18, 2014 at 4:44 PM, Tim Bird <tbird20d-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org> wrote:
>> I'm not in favor of separating the device tree information from the kernel.
>>
>> If we switch, then whatever synchronization issues other projects
>> are having now with synching with the device tree info from the kernel will
>> just then become the problem of the kernel developers, who will then
>> have to sync with the device tree info from another repository.  If the
>> sync issues can't be solved now for them, why or how would it be solved
>> post-separation for us?  (It sounds like a zero-sum game of pain transfer
>> to me.)
>>
>> I'm relatively unfamiliar with the arguments.  Can someone provide
>> a brief list of reasons this is needed, and how the inconvenience to Linux
>> kernel developers will be minimized, should it proceed?
> 
> - Primarily, other projects like u-boot, barebox, FreeBSD and possibly
> TianoCore (UEFI) are using DT now. Leaving them in the kernel will
> cause fragmentation. The statements about barebox needing to add
> barebox properties to the dtb is exactly the kind of fragmentation I'm
> worried about.

"Devicetree only describes the hardware" (paraphrasing a claim often made).
If the linux kernel dts files do not fully describe the hardware then it
is appropriate to add the missing info.

> - The need to share dts fragments across arches. This is a bit
> orthogonal, but this restructuring would be easier done outside the
> kernel tree. Restructuring everything in the kernel tree and then
> moving it out would be a lot of churn.

The churn will occur no matter what repository the files are in.

> - As we add schema checking, we need somewhere to put those.

And why does _that_ need to be in an external repository?

> 
> One way to minimize the inconvenience is keep versioning and dev
> cycles in sync with the kernel. We could also start doing things to
> align the kernel workflow with how things will work when we do have a
> separate repository.

If you stay in sync with the kernel then you are still tied to the
linux kernel source repository.  No gain.

-Frank

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