linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] Shorten constant names for EFI variable attributes

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <5009DFBF.7060009@hp.com>
Date:	Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:46:23 -0600
From:	Khalid Aziz <khalid.aziz@...com>
To:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
CC:	mjg@...hat.com, mikew@...gle.com, tony.luck@...el.com,
	keescook@...omium.org, gong.chen@...ux.intel.com,
	gregkh@...uxfoundation.org, paul.gortmaker@...driver.com,
	maxin.john@...il.com, rdunlap@...otime.net, matt.fleming@...el.com,
	olof@...om.net, dhowells@...hat.com, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Shorten constant names for EFI variable attributes

On 07/20/2012 04:34 PM, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> On 07/20/2012 03:30 PM, Khalid Aziz wrote:
>>
>> This patch is based upon earlier discussion at
>> <https://lkml.org/lkml/2012/7/13/320>.
>>
>> You are right that EFI specification uses exactly these long names for
>> the constants, but does that mean kernel must also use the exact same
>> long constant names? I can see doing that for the sake of consistency.
>> At the same time, can we make the kernel code more readable and retain
>> compatibility with existing API by using aliases? I slightly prefer
>> making kernel code more readable, but I could go either way.
>>
>
> I think it makes the kernel code less readable, because now you not 
> only need to understand the kernel code and the EFI spec, but also how 
> the two maps onto each other. The fact that you then have to introduce 
> aliases indicates to me that you're doing something actively broken.
>
>     -hpa
>
As I think more about it, existence of aliases could also potentially 
create confusion where someone adding new code to kernel chooses to use 
the long name instead. Maybe unless we can make a clean break from long 
names, it is not worth doing this and that is going to be problematic 
because of the existing usage in userspace programs.

Matthew, do you have a different point of view?

-- 
Khalid
khalid.aziz@...com

--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/