Re: removing existing working drivers via staging

Greg KH
2009-10-19T07:45:23Z

On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 09:32:30AM +0200, Ingo Molnar wrote:
>
> * Pavel Machek <pavel@ucw.cz> wrote:
>
> > On Thu 2009-10-15 09:47:26, Greg KH wrote:
> > > On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 09:39:51AM -0700, david@lang.hm wrote:
> > > > however, what I think I saw proposed was to move drivers that need to be
> > > > 'cleaned up', to staging and then dropping them if they don't get cleaned.
> > >
> > > What is "proposed" is the following:
> > >
> > > - For drivers currently in the kernel tree, that the subsystem
> > > maintainer, for whatever reason, feels is obsolete / broken /
> > > needs major cleaning / wants to get rid of, can be submitted
> > > to the staging maintainer to be moved to the drivers/staging/
> > > directory.
> > > - For a file to be moved into this directory, all of the normal
> > > staging rules apply, including most importantly, a TODO file
> > > listing what needs to be done to the driver in order for it to
> > > be moved back into the main portion of the kernel tree.
> > > - If, after a period of 3 releases, no work has been done on the
> > > driver by anyone, the driver will be removed from the staging
> > > tree, just like all drivers in the staging tree.
> > >
> > > Note, as always, if a driver wants to come back from removal of the
> > > staging tree, a simple email to the staging maintainer, along with the
> > > promise that work will be done, is all it takes to resurrect it.
> > >
> > > Sound good?
> > >
> > > Now, where to put these "rules"? Any suggestions?
> >
> > I'm not sure it sounds good. It should not be named 'staging' at
> > least.
>
> Why not? It's a good match - a driver gets staged because it's not fit
> for upstream.
>
> The usual staging rules apply regardless of where the driver came from
> (outside or inside the kernel): someone has to care about it and it has
> to be fixed.

Exactly, I'll keep the name for now, it's easier that way.

thanks,

greg k-h