From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Wed, 22 May 2002 17:47:27 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Wed, 22 May 2002 17:47:26 -0400 Received: from smtpnotes.altec.com ([209.149.164.10]:49674 "HELO smtpnotes.altec.com") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id ; Wed, 22 May 2002 17:47:23 -0400 X-Lotus-FromDomain: ALTEC From: Wayne.Brown@altec.com To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Message-ID: <86256BC1.0076F247.00@smtpnotes.altec.com> Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 15:00:15 -0500 Subject: Re: Linux-2.5.17 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Thanks for pointing me in the right direction; I found the same code in my copy of libgtop (1.0.9) and see the problem. Maybe now I can hack something together to make it work. In comparing /proc/meminfo in 2.4.19-pre8 and 2.5.17 I see that there is very little difference except that the information gtop relies upon is missing. The lines it needs aren't changed or rearranged, just gone altogether. Was there any particular purpose for that, other than breaking programs like gtop? I'm a firm believer that adding something new to a system should never break existing functionality unless absolutely necessary. Was it necessary in this case, or was it done because someone was offended that it wasn't "clean" enough? Nick.Holloway@pyrites.org.uk (Nick Holloway) on 05/22/2002 06:49:59 AM To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org cc: (bcc: Wayne Brown/Corporate/Altec) Subject: Re: Linux-2.5.17 In <86256BC1.001146A6.00@smtpnotes.altec.com> Wayne.Brown@altec.com writes: > I can live with not building, crashing, or even eating filesystems. Those > things will be fixed sooner or later. But breaking userspace programs -- that > may well be permanent. Looking at the source code to libgtop-1.0.6 (the version I have easy access to), the parser used to extract the swap information from /proc/meminfo is extremely fragile (read: broken). Rather than looking at the tag at the start of each line for the one it requires, it assumes that the "Swap:" details are on the 3rd line (and doesn't even verify the label). You can't expect the kernel to keep compatability for such poor user-space code (especially during a development cycle). The change to /proc/meminfo came about in 2.5.1, and this removed the first two lines from the old, inflexible layout (that has been deprecated for a while, and should probably been removed during the 2.1.x development cycle). -- `O O' | Nick.Holloway@pyrites.org.uk // ^ \\ | http://www.pyrites.org.uk/ - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/