linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v2 09/19] ASoC: tlv320aic31xx: Remove platform data

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Date:   Wed, 6 Dec 2017 12:40:45 -0600
From:   "Andrew F. Davis" <afd@...com>
To:     Mark Brown <broonie@...nel.org>
CC:     Liam Girdwood <lgirdwood@...il.com>,
        Rob Herring <robh+dt@...nel.org>,
        Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@....com>,
        Benoît Cousson <bcousson@...libre.com>,
        Tony Lindgren <tony@...mide.com>,
        <alsa-devel@...a-project.org>, <devicetree@...r.kernel.org>,
        <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 09/19] ASoC: tlv320aic31xx: Remove platform data

On 12/06/2017 12:15 PM, Mark Brown wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 06, 2017 at 11:48:43AM -0600, Andrew F. Davis wrote:
> 
>> That would be unreasonable I agree, but it's also completely
>> hypothetical, as again, there are no in-tree users and most platforms
>> are DT/ACPI, so the odds of anyone needing it are next to nothing.
> 
> You're removing support for something someone might want to use for no
> clear gain.  The bar for doing that needs to be higher than just random
> cleanup, it needs to actively bring some benefit that justifies the
> cost.  If something is sitting there not getting in the way and is
> potentially going to be helpful for something in the future then there
> needs to be a positive reason to take it away.
> 

For some userspace feature sure, but this is kernel code, there is no
guarantee for a sable API, in fact some would probably argue even
further that there is a guarantee that stuff *will* change and this is a
good thing as it kinda serves to punish for those you don't try to upstream.

So the helpfulness bar should be zero for changes that break out-of-tree
stuff.

Even more so this patch isn't a zero gain, the cleaner, better looking,
and easier to maintain code *is* the benefit in itself. Plus we gain the
ability to set mic-gain voltage with ACPI, something you couldn't do
before this patch.