Re: [RFC: 2.6 patch] kernel/sys.c: possible cleanups

Adrian Bunk
2006-05-01T08:59:39Z

On Mon, May 01, 2006 at 12:49:25AM -0700, Andrew Morton wrote:
> Arjan van de Ven <arjan@infradead.org> wrote:
> >
> > > If removing exports requires a process, adding exports requires a
> > > similar process.
> >
> > alternatively we should bite the bullet, and just stick those 900 on the
> > "we'll kill all these in 3 months" list, have a thing to disable them
> > now via a config option (so that people actually notice rather than just
> > having them in the depreciation file) and fix the 5 or 10 or so that
> > actually will be used soon in those 3 months.
> >
>
> I'd instead suggest that we implement a new EXPORT_SYMBOL_UNEXPORT_SCHEDULED
> (?) and use that. Suitable compile-time and modprobe-time warnings would
> be needed. Put the unexport date in a comment at the
> EXPORT_SYMBOL_UNEXPORT_SCHEDULED site or even in the modprobe-time warning
> message, if that's convenient:
>
> EXPORT_SYMBOL_UNEXPORT_SCHEDULED(foo, "Dec 2006");

__deprecated_for_modules already does everything required for compile
time warnings.

No need to make the kernel image even bigger for unused stuff.

Looking over the patches I sent, this might affect perhaps 200 unused
exports today.

So the work would expand to:
- writing 200 feature-removal-schedule.txt entries
- marking 200 functions and variables as __deprecated_for_modules

And in a few months:
- removing 200 feature-removal-schedule.txt entries
- removing 200 __deprecated_for_modules markers
- removing the 200 unused exports

But what do we gain by doing this extra work?
As I said in my other email, there is no good reason to not break
external modules.

And this is reaching the point where I'm spending too much of the part
of my spare time I'm devoting to Linux kernel development in following
useless processes instead of doing something having a result making it
worth spending my time for.

cu
Adrian

--

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"Only a promise," Lao Er said.
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