linux-kernel - Re: [GIT PULL] platform-drivers-x86 for 4.15-1

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Date:   Sat, 18 Nov 2017 12:09:10 -0800
From:   Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:     Andy Shevchenko <andriy.shevchenko@...ux.intel.com>,
        Darren Hart <dvhart@...radead.org>
Cc:     LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [GIT PULL] platform-drivers-x86 for 4.15-1

On Sat, Nov 18, 2017 at 10:37 AM, Linus Torvalds
<torvalds@...ux-foundation.org> wrote:
>
> So I note that you seem to use the same summary script that Darren used.

.. oh, and I note a *much* worse issue.

You add new drivers and then default them to "on".

THAT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.

I don't know why I have to say this every single merge window, but
let's do it one more time:

  As a developer, you think _your_ driver or feature is the most
important thing ever, and you have the hardware.

  AND ALMOST NOBODY ELSE CARES.

Read it and weep. Unless your hardware is completely ubiquitous, it
damn well should not default to being defaulted everybody elses
config.

In particular, people who do "make oldconfig" clearly had a
configuration _without_ your hardware and were happy with it, and want
to keep it working. That's what "oldconfig" means.

You don't say "hey, let's enable this piece of hardware that you don't
have anyway, just to waste your time and disk and memory".

So the things that merit "default y/m" are

 (a) you added a Kconfig option for something that used to always be
built. Then it merits that "default y" exactly because "make
oldconfig" should just work.

 (b) corollary of the above: if you add a new gatekeeping Kconfig
option that hides/shows other Kconfig options (but doesn't generate
any code of its own), it should be enabled by default, simply so that
by default people will see those other options.

 (c) your driver itself defaults to off, but you then have sub-driver
options for behavior or similar, where you can give sane defaults for
people who _do_ have your hardware, and want the driver for it, and
within those constraints the extended option makes sense

 (d) your piece of hardware or infrastructure really is something that
everybody expects. If you have CONFIG_NET or CONFIG_BLOCK, you get to
enable it by default.

But something like CONFIG_DELL_SMBIOS sure as hell does not merit
being default on. Not even if you have enabled WMI.

EVERY SINGLE "default" line that got added by this branch was wrong.

Stop doing this. It's a serious violation of peoples expectations.
When I do "make oldconfig", I don't want some new random hardware
support.

              Linus