Re: [PATCH 1/1] mm: introduce process_reap system call

Johannes Weiner
2021-06-30T21:45:33Z

On Wed, Jun 30, 2021 at 11:51:36AM -0700, Suren Baghdasaryan wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 30, 2021 at 11:26 AM Andy Lutomirski <luto@kernel.org> wrote:
> > Also, please consider removing all mention of the word "reap" from the
> > user API. For better or for worse, "reap" in UNIX refers to what
> > happens when a dead task gets wait()ed. I sincerely wish I could go
> > back in time and gently encourage whomever invented that particular
> > abomination to change their mind, but my time machine doesn't work.
>
> I see. Thanks for the note. How about process_mem_release() and
> replacing reap with release everywhere?

I don't quite understand the objection. This syscall works on tasks
that are at the end of their life, right? Isn't something like
process_mreap() establishing exactly the mental link we want here?
Release is less descriptive for what this thing is to be used for.