linux-kernel - Re: [RFC 09/10] x86/enter: Create macros to restrict/unrestrict Indirect Branch Speculation

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Date:   Mon, 22 Jan 2018 22:15:46 +0000
From:   Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton <lkcl@...l.net>
To:     David Woodhouse <dwmw2@...radead.org>,
        torvalds@...ux-foundation.org,
        Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [RFC 09/10] x86/enter: Create macros to restrict/unrestrict
 Indirect Branch Speculation

[apologies for breaking the reply-thread]

David wrote:

> I think we've covered the technical part of this now, not that you like
> it â not that any of us *like* it. But since the peanut gallery is
> paying lots of attention it's probably worth explaining it a little
> more for their benefit.

i'm in taiwan (happily just accidentally landed in a position to do a
meltdown-less, spectre-less entirely libre RISC-V SoC), i got
wasabi-flavoured crisps imported from korea, and a bag of pistachios
that come with their own moisture absorbing sachet, does that count?

david, there is actually a significant benefit to what you're doing,
not just peanut-gallery-ing: this is a cluster-f*** where every single
intel (and amd) engineer is prevented and prohibited from talking
directly to you as they develop the microcode.  they're effectively
indentured slaves (all employees are), and they've been ignored
and demoralised.  it's a lesson that i'm not sure their management
are capable of learning, despite the head of the intel open source
innovation centre has been trying to get across to them for many
years: OPEN UP THE FUCKING FIRMWARE AND MICROCODE.

so unfortunately, the burden is on you, the members of the linux
kernel  team, to read between the lines, express things clearly here
on LKML so that the intel engineers who are NOT PERMITTED
to talk directly to you can at least get some clear feedback.
the burden is therefore *on you* - like it or not - to indicate *to them*
that you fully grasp the technical situation... whilst at the same time
not being permitted access to the fucking microcode gaah what
a cluster-f*** anyway you get my drift, right?  you're doing the
right thing.

anyway good luck, it's all highly entertaining, but please don't forget
that you have a huge responsibility here.  oh, and intel management?
this situation is your equivalent of heartbleed and shellshock.  you get
your fucking act together and put a much larger contribution into some
pot somewhere e.g. the linux foundation, to make up for fucking
around and freeloading off of the linux kernel team's expertise and
time, d'ya get my drift?

l.