Re: [PATCH net] netrom: do some basic forms of validation on incoming frames

Craig
2026-04-10T22:51:43Z

> If the main concern here is ongoing maintenance of these Ham Radio
> related protocols/drivers, can we pause for a moment on anything as
> dramatic as removing from the tree entirely ?
>
> There is a good cohort of capable kernel folks that either are or were
> ham radio operators who I believe, upon realising that things have got
> to this point, will be happy to redouble efforts to ensure this code
> maintained and tested to a satisfactory standard.
>
> Or, alternatively, as a technical community it may be that the Ham
> Radio interested folks conclude that out of tree or user space
> solutions are a better way forward as others have proposed.
>
> Give us a few days, please, for the word to be put around that we need
> to pull ourselves together a bit as a technical group :)
>

I, for one, really can't imagine pulling an entire network subsytem out
of the kernel without any
knowledge of how/if/when it's used.  Like intercontinental radio
networks, global email, ax.25
keyboard-to-keyboard, BBS and other emergency-communication systems
throughout the
world.  If you're sure the Internet will never fail, I guess it makes
sense removing all of this
since it's inconvenient to maintain.

Global AX.25 keyboard-to-keyboard on 14.105Mhz

https://qsl.net/kb9pvh/105.html

AX.25/netrom VHF routed networks spanning from Oregon to Los Angeles.

https://www.easymapmaker.com/map/80666c4898ec6e8fa0c35add5d03282d

Global radio email using AX.25

https://winlink.org/RMSChannels (1,336 AX.25 email packet nodes on
the Earth and Space)

This is all in operation by Amateur Radio ARES emergency
protocols/technologies.  This
will not pass the headline test when it comes to Linux detractors.

Most of this is running on Raspberry Pi / Linux 24/7.

If we want to kill all these apps and somehow force them into user space,
it's akin to just switching to Windows - and flounder with the Microsoft
folks
trying to do the same thing.

-craig