Messages in this thread |  | | | From | "H. Peter Anvin" <> | | Subject | Re: DEVFSv50 and /dev/fb? (or /dev/fb/? ???) | | Date | Fri, 7 Aug 1998 15:39:11 -0700 (PDT) |
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> People keep proposing bandaid solutions that only treat the > symptoms.
Yes, unfortunately devfs is exactly that.
> Device files are a namespace used to access kernel drivers, not just > an ordinary collection of files. There is a fundamental difference here. > It is critical that /dev be perfectly synchronized with the kernel.
Actually, /dev *IS* just an ordinary collection of files. Yes, it has to match the kernel. So do libc, kmod, automount, and a gazillion other things. Putting it in kernel space is a quick, dirty hack.
> Preferably, /dev is also synchronized with the hardware.
There is no need for this; it needs to be synchronized with the drivers.
> How would an anti-devfs person support USB? Remember, the whole system > is dynamic. You can add and remove devices on a live system. You can > have several devices of the same type, there is no adjustable ID like > SCSI has... It will put you through hell.
Do it like PCMCIA, which already supports this kind hot-plugging quite nicely thankyouverymuch. Hot-plugging is a heck of a lot more than device nodes, which is exactly why so many of the pro-devfs arguments are fundamental fallacies.
-hpa
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