Re: Driver graveyard

[Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>]

On Mon, 02 May 2022 08:29:03 -0600 Jonathan Corbet wrote:
> Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org> writes:
>
> > Thomas suggested that it may be nice to create some form of a record
> > for drivers which were retired from the tree. I think a code-centric
> > equivalent of CREDITS could be a good idea.
> >
> > Does such a record already exist somewhere? If not any thoughts on
> > creating a file storing (Kconfig, short description, commit which
> > removed the driver)? E.g.
> >
> >
> > K: DMASCC
> > D: Hamradio high-speed (DMA) SCC driver for AX.25. Driver supported
> > D: Ottawa PI/PI2, Paccomm/Gracilis D: PackeTwin, and S5SCC/DMA boards.
> > C: 865e2eb08f51  
> 
> So what is the purpose for this file?  And more to the point, I guess:
> is there a need for it to be strictly machine-readable?  If the
> objective is to remember our history to minimize our chances of
> repeating it, something more prose-oriented might work better.

To be honest I found the existence of the CREDITS file useful when
removing stale MAINTAINERS entries. A move seems less hostile than 
a erasure (using a very broad definition of "move" in case of drivers).
Anything that makes people feel more at ease when I remove their driver
would be helpful.

The only practical (i.e. not armchair-psychology-based) use I can think
of is if someone is about to sit down and write a new driver they may
grep the tree for the name of the HW, and they may find the graveyard
entry. So I think listing the exact HW supported is useful. That said
as I'm writing this I'm reminded how old the hypothetical HW in the
previous sentence likely is.

I used the machine-readable format following CREDITS. I figured CREDITS
serves no practical purpose either today, in hindsight that's a bit
ahistoric.