Re: [PATCH 00/18] Make common x86 arch area for i386 and x86_64 - Take 2

Martin Bligh
2007-03-15T15:50:50Z

Linus Torvalds wrote:
>
> On Wed, 14 Mar 2007, Ingo Molnar wrote:
>> and that's how i think unification of architectures should be done: move
>> code into kernel/* and drivers/*, _not_ into another architecture. That
>> way all architectures benefit.
>
> Don't be silly.
>
> Did you even *look* at the patches?
>
> We're talking about things like
>
> b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/cpufreq/powernow-k8.h
>
> so please tell me what drugs you are on that say that we should move this
> into kernel/* and drivers/* and make all architectures benefit. It's
> *x86* specific, it's just that k8 exists both in 32-bit and 64-bit land.
>
> The file is *already* shared, it's just that right now it is not in a
> shared location. Right now it is in arch/i386/ (as if it was
> i386-specific) and then x86-64 includes it with:
>
> arch/x86_64/kernel/cpufreq/Makefile:
>
> #
> # Reuse the i386 cpufreq drivers
> #
>
> SRCDIR := ../../../i386/kernel/cpu/cpufreq
>
> and anybody who thinks this is "nice" simply has no taste at all.

Can't we move the shared files into a new shared arch/ subdirectory
(ia32_64 or whatever), and have them included from both places?
At least then it's obvious they're shared, and it's a migration
strategy to the shared arch that you want.

On the downside, it's more ../../.. type stuff. On the upside,
they're more cleanly separated and it's apparent what's going on.
Seems nicer to me than drivers/ and kernel/ for stuff that's
really arch specific, but shared between two arches.

M.