Re: [PATCH] ieee1394: eth1394: use "firewire%d" instead of "eth%d" as interface name

[David Miller <davem@davemloft.net>]

From: Stefan Richter <stefanr@s5r6.in-berlin.de>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 22:13:50 +0200

> But I mildly disagree with the notion that the kernel can't start off
> with more qualification of the names than merely ensuring their
> uniqueness.  Or the other way around: Even an entirely meaningless
> prefix would be better than "eth..", or no prefix if that's possible,
> because eth suspiciously sounds like Ethernet with which the misnamed
> RFC 2734 driver eth1394 has very little to do.

Even the driver source file is named "ethXXX"!  All of the macros
in the driver are named ETH*.  The eth1394hdr looks eerily similar
to a real ethernet header except that it lacks a source MAC
address.  It's addressing information plus a 16-bit (wow, why that
size huh?) protocol field.  A lot like ethernet.

At the very least, it's related and similar.  So there is really
nothing inappropriate about eth* naming.

> However, how mild my disagreement is should be apparent from the fact
> that I didn't bother to suggest changing it before now, in 2009. :-)

You have more to lose by changing this now (breaking existing systems,
and yes I did see the hack workaround you posted) instead of fixing
userspace to make whatever indications you deem appropriate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Register Now for Creativity and Technology (CaT), June 3rd, NYC. CaT
is a gathering of tech-side developers & brand creativity professionals. Meet
the minds behind Google Creative Lab, Visual Complexity, Processing, & 
iPhoneDevCamp asthey present alongside digital heavyweights like Barbarian
Group, R/GA, & Big Spaceship. http://www.creativitycat.com