lkml.org 
[lkml]   [1999]   [Oct]   [11]   [last100]   RSS Feed
Views: [wrap][no wrap]   [headers]  [forward] 
 
Messages in this thread
/
Date
From
SubjectRe: PUBLIC CHALLENGE: (was RE: devfs again, (was RE: USB device a lloc ation) )
On Thu, 7 Oct 1999, Horst von Brand wrote:

Your reasons are partially valid, but not complete - maybe you'll
reconsider if you see some more reasons:

> Reasons against devfs:
>
> - Permanent attributes are kludged on

True, but it works. It's no more kludged than some other stuff in the
kernel (remember umsdos?). Less kludged actually.
Also, the current USB device naming system in 2.3.20 is a very ugly kludge
that can go away with devfs.

> - Breaks filesystem semantics in several ways, makes it very hard to check
> ramifications

How so? I don't see it breaking anything.

> - Impacts system administration,

by making things easier...

> making device managing a lot less Unixy

FreeBSD has devfs. Is FreeBSD not Unix?

> - Impacts _every_ single driver in the kernel, even if it isn't used

Only at the source level if CONFIG_DEVFS is not set, and the changes
needed at source level are so minimal that someone with no previous kernel
programming experience could do it in half an hour.

> - What can be done with devfs can be done without it.

Hot-swapping?
Also, what about kmod/kerneld? We can get by without them...

> But I add/remove devices from my machines perhaps once a
> month, so that doesn't cut it for me.

The key point being *for you*. There are people (PCMCIA, USB, Firewire,
...) who do add/remove devices frequently.

> Reasons for devfs:
>
> - Makes handling hot-plug easier, but marginally so

- Makes handling hot-plug possible without ugly kludges

> - Unclutters /dev

- Easy possibility for userspace tools to know about installed hardware
(Just check /dev/sound to see if there is a soundcard and what it can
do!)
- Compatibility (with FreeBSD and other BSDs that will take up the
solution)

> Also: It is extra code, has to be maintained and updated, and has to be
> accounted for in new driver developments.

This is true for ANYTHING new.

> It _will_ add new bugs

True. But they won't affect you if you say CONFIG_DEVFS=N.

LLaP
bero


-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/

\
 
 \ /
  Last update: 2005-03-22 13:54    [W:0.726 / U:0.648 seconds]
©2003-2020 Jasper Spaans|hosted at Digital Ocean and TransIP|Read the blog|Advertise on this site