linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 2.6.26-rc] ACPI Thermal Zone driver breaks lm-sensors 2 userspace

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Date:	Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:07:15 -0700 (PDT)
From:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:	Robert Hancock <hancockr@...w.ca>
cc:	"Mark M. Hoffman" <mhoffman@...htlink.com>,
	Rene Herman <rene.herman@...access.nl>,
	Hans de Goede <j.w.r.degoede@....nl>,
	Zhang Rui <rui.zhang@...el.com>,
	Jean Delvare <khali@...ux-fr.org>, linux-acpi@...r.kernel.org,
	lm-sensors@...sensors.org,
	Linux Kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 2.6.26-rc] ACPI Thermal Zone driver breaks lm-sensors 2
 userspace

On Mon, 23 Jun 2008, Robert Hancock wrote:

> Mark M. Hoffman wrote:
> > 
> > 1) The bug is in libsensors (2.10), not the kernel.
> 
> This doesn't matter. Breaking userspace in such a fashion is severely frowned
> upon unless essentially unavoidable, even if it is just triggering a bug.

I do tend to agree. If it used to work, it should continue to work, even 
if it wasn't _meant_ to work.

That's not always 100% possible, but the fact is, neither is updating user 
space always possible. The kernel needs to try its best to maintain stable 
interfaces, and no, "..but the interface was broken" is _not_ an 
acceptable excuse for unbreaking it if it causes problems.

> > - but more importantly -
> > 
> > 2) This patch is broken.
> 
> You didn't indicate what was wrong with the patch.

Yes. Leaving everybody wondering whether it's just an opinionated 
expression of the former problem, or whether there is a real and 
understandable reason why it was NACK'ed.

		Linus
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