Re: [Qemu-devel] KVM call minutes for Feb 8

[Anthony Liguori <anthony@codemonkey.ws>]

On 02/09/2011 02:01 AM, Markus Armbruster wrote:
> Anthony Liguori<anthony@codemonkey.ws>  writes:
>
>    
>> On 02/08/2011 11:13 AM, Markus Armbruster wrote:
>>      
>>> Chris Wright<chrisw@redhat.com>   writes:
>>>
>>> [...]
>>>
>>>        
>>>> - qdev/vmstate both examples of partially completed work that need more
>>>>     attention
>>>>
>>>>          
>>> As far as qdev's concerned, I can see two kinds of to-dos:
>>>
>>> * Further develop qdev so that more of the machine init code can becomes
>>>     qdev declarations.  Specific ideas welcome.  Patches even more, as
>>>     always.
>>>
>>>        
>> I think we need to improve the i440fx modelling as a lot of the stuff
>> done in the machine init for pc really belongs as part of the i440fx.
>>
>> In theory, creating an i440fx ought to be essentially equivalent to
>> the machine init function today.
>>
>>      
>>> * Convert the remaining devices.  They are typically used only with
>>>     oddball machines, which makes the conversion hard to test for anyone
>>>     who's not already using them.
>>>
>>>     I've said this before: at some point in time (sooner rather than
>>>     later, if you ask me), we need to shoot the stragglers.  I'm pretty
>>>     optimistic that any victims worth keeping will receive timely
>>>     attention then.
>>>
>>> Anything else?
>>>
>>>        
>> We need to unify the property model.  We have QemuOpts, qdev
>> properties, and QObject which basically reinvents variant typing three
>> different ways.
>>      
> Make it four: QEMUOptionParameter.
>
> Now let me make it three again.  Unlike the others, a qdev property
> describes a perfectly ordinary, non-variant struct member.  It's poor
> man's reflection, not a variant type.
>    

Except that construction of a device requires initialization from an 
array of variants (which is then type checked).  The way we store the 
variants is lossy because we convert back and forth to a string.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori