From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S262153AbUBKBV1 (ORCPT ); Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:21:27 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S263491AbUBKBV0 (ORCPT ); Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:21:26 -0500 Received: from h24-82-88-106.vf.shawcable.net ([24.82.88.106]:42381 "HELO tinyvaio.nome.ca") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S262153AbUBKBUW (ORCPT ); Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:20:22 -0500 Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 17:20:48 -0800 From: Mike Bell To: Chris Friesen Cc: Greg KH , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: devfs vs udev, thoughts from a devfs user Message-ID: <20040211012047.GA4915@tinyvaio.nome.ca> References: <20040210113417.GD4421@tinyvaio.nome.ca> <20040210170157.GA27421@kroah.com> <20040210171337.GK4421@tinyvaio.nome.ca> <40291A73.7050503@nortelnetworks.com> <20040210192456.GB4814@tinyvaio.nome.ca> <40293508.1040803@nortelnetworks.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <40293508.1040803@nortelnetworks.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.5.1+cvs20040105i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Tue, Feb 10, 2004 at 02:46:16PM -0500, Chris Friesen wrote: > I believe this is a misconception. > > Udev uses standard rules by default. If the end-user (or their distro) > wants to add additional rules or override these rules, they can do that. Right, but why is "override" better than "in addition to" in this case? With the in addition case, any linux system at least has the predictable, kernel-generated name, and any app can rely on that name being the same on. If the user doesn't like it, he/she is free to make another one, but the old one's still there. udev's additional flexibility over devfs with regard to naming seems to boil down to that, udev is instead of, devfs is in addition to. Why is instead of better? There's space savings, but a simpler devfs might actually be more RAM efficient than using the generic tmpfs with device nodes on it. And there's the cleanliness of not having unused device nodes around, but those unused device nodes guarantee that no matter what crazy naming scheme you personally like for your devices, they're still findable the old fashioned way too.