linux-kernel - RE: [PATCH] Cast removal

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Date:	Thu, 5 Oct 2006 18:23:06 -0400
From:	"Brown, Len" <len.brown@...el.com>
To:	"Moore, Robert" <robert.moore@...el.com>,
	"Jan Engelhardt" <jengelh@...ux01.gwdg.de>,
	"Andrew Morton" <akpm@...l.org>
Cc:	"Len Brown" <lenb@...nel.org>,
	"Linux Kernel Mailing List" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	"ACPI List" <linux-acpi@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: RE: [PATCH] Cast removal

>If you're discussing this type of thing, I agree wholeheartedly:
>
>static void acpi_processor_notify(acpi_handle handle, u32 
>event, void *data)  {
>-	struct acpi_processor *pr = (struct acpi_processor *)data;
>+	struct acpi_processor *pr = data;
>
>
>I find this one interesting, as we've put a number of them 
>into the ACPICA core:
>
>-	(void) kmem_cache_destroy(cache);
>+	kmem_cache_destroy(cache);
>
>I believe that the point of the (void) is to prevent lint from 
>squawking, and perhaps some picky ANSI-C compilers. What is 
>the overall Linux policy on this?

Back when I started on Linux I was told that (void) foo()
was just extra characters and somehow made the code "hard to read"
and was thus not the "Linux way".

I think I did it because in a previous life kernel code needed to be
lint-free
to get checked in, and lint complained about return values getting
ignored.
I happen to agree with lint because I think it uncovers real bugs -- in
this case ignored error return values -- something that is rarely tested
at run-time until you need it:-)  But I have no interest in a style
debate.
I expect the custom will get changed when Linus decides that it is
useful, and not before.

-Len
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