linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] make CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL invisible and default

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Date:	Wed, 3 Oct 2012 11:16:41 -0500
From:	Serge Hallyn <serge.hallyn@...onical.com>
To:	"Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
Cc:	Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	"Eric W. Biederman" <ebiederm@...ssion.com>,
	"David S. Miller" <davem@...emloft.net>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Frederic Weisbecker <fweisbec@...il.com>,
	Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] make CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL invisible and default

Quoting Paul E. McKenney (paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com):
> On Tue, Oct 02, 2012 at 12:50:42PM -0700, Kees Cook wrote:
> > This config item has not carried much meaning for a while now and is
> > almost always enabled by default. As agreed during the Linux kernel
> > summit, it should be removed. As a first step, remove it from being
> > listed, and default it to on. Once it has been removed from all
> > subsystem Kconfigs, it will be dropped entirely.
> > 
> > CC: Greg KH <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>
> > CC: "Eric W. Biederman" <ebiederm@...ssion.com>
> > CC: Serge Hallyn <serge.hallyn@...onical.com>
> > CC: "Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
> > CC: Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>
> > CC: Frederic Weisbecker <fweisbec@...il.com>
> > Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>
> > ---
> > 
> > This is the first of a series of 202 patches removing EXPERIMENTAL from
> > all the Kconfigs in the tree. Should I send them all to lkml (with all
> > the associated CCs), or do people want to cherry-pick changes from my
> > tree? I don't want to needlessly flood the list.
> > 
> > http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/kees/linux.git;a=shortlog;h=refs/heads/experimental
> > 
> > I figure this patch can stand alone to at least make EXPERIMENTAL go
> > away from the menus, and give us a taste of what the removal would do
> > to builds.
> 
> OK, I will bite...  How should I flag an option that is initially only
> intended for those willing to take some level of risk?

Sadly, the point is that EXPERIMENTAL is enabled in all distros and by
most users, so you *could* flag your feature CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL, but
the only thing taht might accomplish is making you feel ok to be less
careful.

Of course, an alternative to this patch would be a purging - pull
the CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL tag from all options which anyone might be
wanting to use by default.  Then let CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL serve its
original purpose.

-serge
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