linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v2 8/8] p54: convert to sysdata API

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Date:	Thu, 16 Jun 2016 17:09:30 -1000
From:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:	"Luis R. Rodriguez" <mcgrof@...nel.org>
Cc:	Hauke Mehrtens <hauke@...ke-m.de>,
	Vikram Mulukutla <markivx@...eaurora.org>,
	Stephen Boyd <stephen.boyd@...aro.org>,
	Christian Lamparter <chunkeey@...glemail.com>,
	Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>,
	Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>,
	Julia Lawall <Julia.Lawall@...6.fr>,
	Tom Gundersen <teg@...m.no>,
	David Woodhouse <dwmw2@...radead.org>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Tejun Heo <tj@...nel.org>,
	Josh Boyer <jwboyer@...oraproject.org>,
	Michal Marek <mmarek@...e.com>,
	David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
	Mimi Zohar <zohar@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>,
	Johannes Berg <johannes@...solutions.net>,
	Daniel Vetter <daniel.vetter@...ll.ch>, Abhay_Salunke@...l.com,
	Ming Lei <ming.lei@...onical.com>,
	Takashi Iwai <tiwai@...e.de>,
	Dmitry Torokhov <dmitry.torokhov@...il.com>,
	Wu Fengguang <fengguang.wu@...el.com>,
	Mark Brown <broonie@...nel.org>,
	Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>,
	Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
	Jiri Slaby <jslaby@...e.com>, Gilles.Muller@...6.fr,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	ki@...sung.com, Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>,
	Richard Purdie <rpurdie@...ys.net>, nicolas.palix@...g.fr
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 8/8] p54: convert to sysdata API

On Thu, Jun 16, 2016 at 3:36 PM, Luis R. Rodriguez <mcgrof@...nel.org> wrote:
>
> Reason this could not wait is folks seem to want to keep extending the API,
> which is another reason for this, do we want to put an end to an unflexible
> API now or should we wait ?

So I absolutely abhor "changes for changes sake".

If the existing code works for existing drivers, let them keep it.

And if a new interface is truly more flexible, then it should be able
to implement the old interface with no changes, so that drivers
shouldn't need to be changed/upgraded.

Then, drivers that actually _want_ new features, or that can take
advantage of new interfaces to actually make things *simpler*, can
choose to make those changes. But those changes should have real
advantages.

Having to have a callback, or a magical "sysdata_desc" descriptor, and
having a new name ("sysdata") that is less descriptive than the old
one ("firmware") are all in my opinion making the example patch be a
step _backwards_ rather than an improvement. It does not look like a
simpler or more natural interface for a driver.

               Linus