linux-kernel - Re: Kconfig "softdepends" idea

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Date:	Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:10:03 +0300
From:	Tomi Valkeinen <tomi.valkeinen@...com>
To:	<balbi@...com>
CC:	Sam Ravnborg <sam@...nborg.org>,
	linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	<linux-kbuild@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: Kconfig "softdepends" idea

On 04/30/2013 01:33 PM, Felipe Balbi wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 12:24:40PM +0200, Sam Ravnborg wrote:
>>> So, my idea is to have a new kind of Kconfig dependency. I'll call it
>>> "softdepends" in lack of better name. A driver maintainer could use
>>> "softdepends on ARCH_OMAP", instead of "depends on ARCH_OMAP", to say
>>> that this driver does not actually build depend on ARCH_OMAP, but for
>>> all normal purposes it does.
>>>
>>> Normally, this would result in the same behavior as the normal
>>> "depends", and Linus would not get a questions whether he wants to
>>> enable this OMAP specific driver or not, and the driver would not be
>>> visible on the menuconfig.
>>>
>>> But the user could enable the driver if he explicitly so wants. Perhaps
>>> a Kconfig option such as "ignore softdepends", enabling of which would
>>> allow the user to enable the drivers that use softdepends. Or, maybe
>>> just require the user to add the config option manually into his .config.
>>
>> If I understand you correct this is already possible today without
>> extending the kconfig language.
>>
>> config OMAP_SPECIFIC_DRIVER
>> 	depends on ARCH_OMAP || SHOW_ALL_DRIVERS
>>
>>
>> If SHOW_ALL_DRIVERS are "y" then user can say "y" to the OMAP specific
>> driver too, even without ARCH_OMAP being selected.
> 
> SHOW_ALL_DRIVERS might create another set of issues. If Linus isn't
> taking patches removing 'depends on ARCH_OMAP' would he take patches
> adding SHOW_ALL_DRIVERS ?

Wouldn't the SHOW_ALL_DRIVERS be just a one time query from Kconfig to
the user? So Linus only needs to say "n" once. Why would he object to that?

Then again, as a personal opinion, "depends on ARCH_OMAP ||
SHOW_ALL_DRIVERS" is not very descriptive. I'm not sure if that matters,
though. One doesn't need to read the Kconfig files every day =).

But presuming most of the drivers would use that, it would add quite a
bit of repetition to the Kconfig files. Well, ok, I have no idea how
many drivers have dependencies that could be removed.

So SHOW_ALL_DRIVERS sounds quite an easy solution to this.

 Tomi



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