[patch 2.6.20-rc3 0/3] rtc-cmos driver and support

[David Brownell <david-b@pacbell.net>]

Here's the latest version of an "rtc-cmos" driver, which lets PCs
(and other systems now using drivers/char/rtc.c) use the same RTC
class framework that other Linuxes use.

 - Patch #1 is the rtc-cmos driver itself.  Configure PNPACPI
   and up it comes ... in vanilla mode.

 - Patch #2 adds platform_device support for x86 PCs, so you
   can get that same vanilla functionality without PNPACPI.

 - Patch #3 adds the first non-vanilla functionality, exporting
   some extensions (notably, longer alarms) that ACPI knows about.

This is all pretty clean, and AFAICT ready to merge.  On hardware
I have handy, it's a clean replacement for drivers/char/rtc.c code.

This particular version doesn't supplant the /proc/acpi/alarm
mechanism, since I ripped that logic out for now.  Eventually
that can (and should!!) vanish(*), in favor of the portable
userspace interfaces supported by earlier patch versions, but
I figure there's no rush for that just now.

- Dave

(*) I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who actually uses
    that interface ... if there is anyone.  What do you do with
    it, and how.