Re: [RFC] HOWTO do Linux kernel development

Andi Kleen
2005-11-15T14:42:45Z

Greg KH <gregkh@suse.de> writes:

> The kernel is written using GNU C and the GNU toolchain. While it
> adheres to the ISO C99 (??) standard, it uses a number of extensions

C89 - The few left over gcc 2.95 users are blocking modern C constructs.
Even without that it would be a C99 subset, e.g. arbitary long long divisions
or floating point are not supported.

Also the kernel is a freestanding C environment, so parts are not supported.

> Also realize that it is not acceptable to send patches for inclusion
> that are unfinished and will be "fixed up later."

I'm not sure I fully agree on that. I conflicts with the "merge early, merge
often" imperative. IMHO it's ok to submit patches that are not perfect,
but improve something or make a incremental cleanup step, as long as the
problems are not severe and the patch by itself is a clear improvement. Of course
this is handled on a case by case basis.

>
> Justify your change
> -------------------
>
> Along with breaking up your patches, it is very important for you to let
> the Linux community know why they should add this change. New features
> must be justified as being needed and useful.

My request is that each patch should carry a meaningful changelog.
That should tell why and a rough (doesn't need to be detailed) overview how
the change is done.

-Andi