Adding GPIO/SPI/I2C functionality to FTDI driver

[chrysn@fsfe.org (chrysn)]

Hello kernelnewbies list,

I've run into situations where it would be practical to have the GPIO,
I2C and SPI functionality some FTDI chips provide as kernel devices.
(The chips are more often used as USB serial adapters; only that feature
is supported by the current kernel drivers).

The presence of an extensive userspace library (libftdi) and the
observation of a project in a similar situation[1] that has not made it
into the kernel makes me doubt that implementing that in the kernel is
the way to go.

I've written up more thoughts on this on [2], including exploration of
userspace SPI/GPIO/I2C devices (think FUSE / USBIP / uinput), but it
boils down to a simple question:


Is support for alternative operation modes in FTDI chips something that
is welcome and (easily) feasible in the kernel?


Best regards
chrysn


[1] http://danielthesantos.blogspot.co.at/2013/08/why-mcp2210-driver.html
[2] http://christian.amsuess.com/idea-incubator/ftdi-kernel-support/

-- 
You don't become great by trying to be great. You become great by
wanting to do something, and then doing it so hard that you become great
in the process.
  -- Marie Curie (as quoted by Randall Munroe)
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