linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 5/5] firmware: add DECLARE_FW_CUSTOM

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Date:   Fri, 16 Dec 2016 17:14:55 +0100
From:   "Luis R. Rodriguez" <mcgrof@...nel.org>
To:     "Luis R. Rodriguez" <mcgrof@...nel.org>
Cc:     Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>, Milo Kim <woogyom.kim@...il.com>,
        gregkh@...uxfoundation.org, ming.lei@...onical.com,
        daniel.wagner@...-carit.de, teg@...m.no, mchehab@....samsung.com,
        zajec5@...il.com, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
        markivx@...eaurora.org, stephen.boyd@...aro.org,
        broonie@...nel.org, zohar@...ux.vnet.ibm.com, tiwai@...e.de,
        johannes@...solutions.net, chunkeey@...glemail.com,
        hauke@...ke-m.de, jwboyer@...oraproject.org,
        dmitry.torokhov@...il.com, dwmw2@...radead.org, jslaby@...e.com,
        torvalds@...ux-foundation.org, luto@...capital.net,
        fengguang.wu@...el.com, rpurdie@...ys.net,
        j.anaszewski@...sung.com, Abhay_Salunke@...l.com,
        Julia.Lawall@...6.fr, Gilles.Muller@...6.fr, nicolas.palix@...g.fr,
        dhowells@...hat.com, bjorn.andersson@...aro.org,
        arend.vanspriel@...adcom.com, kvalo@...eaurora.org,
        linux-leds@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH 5/5] firmware: add DECLARE_FW_CUSTOM_FALLBACK() annotation

On Fri, Dec 16, 2016 at 05:10:18PM +0100, Luis R. Rodriguez wrote:
> Ah, well Milo Kim replied and described that the custom fallback is used as to
> help load LED effect manually, and suggested a sysfs interface is more ideal [0]. I
> agree however its also may be too late, and it depends how wide spread this "userspace"
> that relies on this is, we just can't break it. Granted the custom fallback
> mechanism was broken since v4.0 (see the fix "firmware: fix usermode helper
> fallback loading") so one may argue no one seems to care...
> 
> So this is a judgement call, and the declaration is to point to documentation
> to white list uses, as terrible as this one is userspace exists for it. but
> more importantly to also help the SmPL grammar report to avoid reporting
> already vetted cases. The alarm / cases for the 2 drivers has been issueed,
> moving forward the lack of declaration with the custom fallback should trigger
> a rant through 0-day so we don't run into the same stupid situation.
> 
> [0] https://marc.info/?l=linux-kernel&m=148168024112445

Milo if sysfs is used can't the old userspace be mapped to use the new 
sysfs interface through a wrapper of some sort ? What exactly would be
needed to ensure old userspace will not break? Why has no one cried
after the v4.0 custom fallback mechanism breaking ? How wide spread is
this custom userspace ?

  Luis