Re: statx(2) API and documentation

Florian Weimer
2018-10-18T07:49:37Z

* Jan Kara:

> On Thu 18-10-18 01:15:13, Amir Goldstein wrote:
>> FYI, I identified a similar anti-pattern in fanotify UAPI when I wanted to
>> add new flags and did not want to change the UAPI _ALL_ constants.
>> This is how we plan to solve it:
>> https://github.com/amir73il/linux/commit/8c2b1acadb88ee4505ccc8bfdc665863111fb4cc
>
> Yeah, after fanotify experience I find foo_ALL constants useless if not
> dangerous for userspace. Kernel internal constants like this are IMO
> useful.

There are also various *_MAX constants which are increased regularly.
Some of them are part of the UAPI headers (INET_DIAG_MAX appears to be
a relevant example), some are no longer in UAPI, but still in custom
glibc headers (AF_MAX/PF_MAX). These appear to be equally useless.