linux-kernel - Re: [RFC PATCH] feature-removal: add documentation for exported symbols going away

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Date:	Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:42:30 -0800
From:	Harvey Harrison <harvey.harrison@...il.com>
To:	Adrian Bunk <bunk@...nel.org>
Cc:	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	David Miller <davem@...emloft.net>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	Pavel Emelyanov <xemul@...nvz.org>,
	LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH] feature-removal: add documentation for exported
	symbols going away

On Thu, 2008-02-14 at 00:34 +0200, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> On Wed, Feb 13, 2008 at 02:22:06PM -0800, Harvey Harrison wrote:
> > +
> > +What:	__inet_hash_connect
> > +Where:	net/ipv4/inet_hashtables.c
> > +When:	2.6.28
> > +Why:	No in tree users
> > +
> > +---------------------------
> > +
> > +What:	io_delay_type
> > +Where:	arch/x86/kernel/io_delay.c
> > +When:	2.6.28
> > +Why:	No in tree users
> > +
> > +---------------------------
> >...
> 
> NAK.
> 
> It's a well-known and documented fact that we not have a stable API for 
> modules.
> 
> And as long as we anyway break the modules API in so many other cases 
> with each kernel release there's simply no point in not removing exports 
> immediately.
> 
> Oh, and for increasing the amount of nonsense even further, you should 
> explain why unused exports that just sneaked into 2.6.25-rc1 must be 
> shipped in 4 stable kernels before they can be removed.
> 

Without comment on the validity of the exports themselves, I was more
interested in the principle of announcing these removals, and if it
was wanted.

Cheers,

Harvey

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