Messages in this thread | | | Subject | Re: OBSOLETE STUFF | Date | Tue, 7 Jul 1998 13:33:16 +0200 (MET DST) | From | (Rogier Wolff) |
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dalecki wrote: > > understand how to judge an OS based on such aesthetic qualities, I don't > > mind catering to their little obsessions if it doesn't take much > > effort. In this particular case the code has gone through enough > > testing that I'm reasonably certain it won't cause a problem, which is > > why I submitted a bug to Linus to disable it by default. > > ;-))) Ted ted. That was exactly my point. After some time, like years in > this case, the code should be in a state where the debugging code should > be just obsolete and removed. It was just a remainder what I did. And btw. > is't not my obsession it's my hobby :-))))))).
I hold the opinion that unless it is really hindering your "movements" in the code, debugging code should remain in place. At some point in the future, you're going to get a problem, where enabeling the debugging code leads you to the problem quickly, while having to redo the debugging stuff takes a while.
Linux also has a lot of stuff that checks for stuff that "usually doesn't go wrong". For example pushing data on skbuffs check if that space is available. You could argue that Linux has been debugged enough that this is no longer neccesary, but I tell you that it is much nicer to get a reproducable kernel panic while developing a driver than it is to have clients wine about unstable software.
And I bet I'd have forgotten to turn that debugging on before starting developing, as well as I'd think stuff was stable before shipping, so the field would see "unstable behaviour" instead of the reliable panic. So Linux indeed has some debugging code, that remains enabled even in production kernels. This means that the cause for problems is more easily traced. This is a feature.
Roger.
-- Actor asks a collegue: "To what do you owe your success in acting?" Answer: "Honesty. Once you've learned how to fake that, you've got it made." -------- Custom Linux device drivers for sale! Call for a quote. ---------- Email: R.E.Wolff@BitWizard.nl || Tel: +31-15-2137555 || FAX: +31-15-2138217
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