linux-kernel - Re: [2.6 patch] fs/buffer.c:init

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Date:	Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:58:29 -0700 (PDT)
From:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:	Adrian Bunk <bunk@...nel.org>
cc:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	Alexander van Heukelum <heukelum@...lshack.com>,
	jdike@...toit.com
Subject: Re: [2.6 patch] fs/buffer.c:init_buffer() mustn't be inline



On Mon, 28 Apr 2008, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> > 
> > Can somebody tell why this is not a gcc bug?
> 
> It is a gcc bug.
> 
> But having a global function marked as extern was already questionable, 
> and all assumptions an "inline" would always inline the code are anyway 
> now broken in your tree.
> 
> So let's work around a gcc bug by fixing the kernel...

But when doing this, MARK IT LOUDLY AS A GCC BUG!

The thing is, reading that log message, it was not at all clear why that 
change was made. Please make it clear why, rather than quoting a totally 
useless error message that doesn't actually tell what is going on.

I agree that having work-arounds for compiler bugs is worth it (assuming 
the version is common enough to worry about), but I also don't want to 
have unexplained commits doing something that on the face of it is just 
odd

Put another way: looking at the actual diff and looking at the commit 
message, the only sane reaction from somebody who knows the code is: 
"Whaa? WTF?". Saying "This is a gcc bug" would have turned that "WTF?" 
into a "Oh, ok then".

			Linus
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