Re: [PATCH 1/2] target/riscv: Remove spike as default machine

[Chao Liu <chao.liu.zevorn@gmail.com>]

On Thu, Apr 30, 2026 at 03:22:17PM +1000, alistair23@gmail.com wrote:
> From: Alistair Francis <alistair.francis@wdc.com>
> 
> In QEMU 10.0 we deprecated the default spike machine, let's finally
> remove spike as the default and require users to specify the machine.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Alistair Francis <alistair.francis@wdc.com>
Reviewed-by: Chao Liu <chao.liu.zevorn@gmail.com>

> ---
>  docs/about/deprecated.rst | 19 -------------------
>  hw/riscv/spike.c          |  1 -
>  2 files changed, 20 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/docs/about/deprecated.rst b/docs/about/deprecated.rst
> index 10de10dc23..f3622dcf93 100644
> --- a/docs/about/deprecated.rst
> +++ b/docs/about/deprecated.rst
> @@ -282,25 +282,6 @@ firmware is available to boot it. It can be replaced by the
>  ``ast2700fc``, another multi-SoC machine based on the newer AST2700
>  SoCs which are excepted to receive better support in the future.
>  
> -
> -RISC-V default machine option (since 10.0)
> -''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
> -
> -RISC-V defines ``spike`` as the default machine if no machine option is
> -given in the command line.  This happens because ``spike`` is the first
> -RISC-V machine implemented in QEMU and setting it as default was
> -convenient at that time.  Now we have 7 riscv64 and 6 riscv32 machines
> -and having ``spike`` as a default is no longer justified.  This default
> -will also promote situations where users think they're running ``virt``
> -(the most used RISC-V machine type in 10.0) when in fact they're
> -running ``spike``.
> -
> -Removing the default machine option forces users to always set the machine
> -they want to use and avoids confusion.  Existing users of the ``spike``
> -machine must ensure that they're setting the ``spike`` machine in the
> -command line (``-M spike``).
> -
> -
>  Backend options
>  ---------------
>  
> diff --git a/hw/riscv/spike.c b/hw/riscv/spike.c
> index 35c696f891..87fe0f242f 100644
> --- a/hw/riscv/spike.c
> +++ b/hw/riscv/spike.c
> @@ -341,7 +341,6 @@ static void spike_machine_class_init(ObjectClass *oc, const void *data)
>      mc->desc = "RISC-V Spike board";
>      mc->init = spike_board_init;
>      mc->max_cpus = SPIKE_CPUS_MAX;
> -    mc->is_default = true;
>      mc->default_cpu_type = TYPE_RISCV_CPU_BASE;
>      mc->possible_cpu_arch_ids = riscv_numa_possible_cpu_arch_ids;
>      mc->cpu_index_to_instance_props = riscv_numa_cpu_index_to_props;
> -- 
> 2.53.0
>