linux-kernel - Re: statx(2) API and documentation

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Message-ID: <87in1zy9rr.fsf@mid.deneb.enyo.de>
Date:   Thu, 18 Oct 2018 09:49:28 +0200
From:   Florian Weimer <fw@...eb.enyo.de>
To:     Jan Kara <jack@...e.cz>
Cc:     Amir Goldstein <amir73il@...il.com>,
        Miklos Szeredi <miklos@...redi.hu>,
        Andreas Dilger <adilger@...ger.ca>,
        "Michael Kerrisk \(man-pages\)" <mtk.manpages@...il.com>,
        David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
        linux-fsdevel <linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org>,
        linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        linux-api@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: statx(2) API and documentation

* Jan Kara:

> On Thu 18-10-18 01:15:13, Amir Goldstein wrote:
>> FYI, I identified a similar anti-pattern in fanotify UAPI when I wanted to
>> add new flags and did not want to change the UAPI _ALL_ constants.
>> This is how we plan to solve it:
>> https://github.com/amir73il/linux/commit/8c2b1acadb88ee4505ccc8bfdc665863111fb4cc
>
> Yeah, after fanotify experience I find foo_ALL constants useless if not
> dangerous for userspace.  Kernel internal constants like this are IMO
> useful.

There are also various *_MAX constants which are increased regularly.
Some of them are part of the UAPI headers (INET_DIAG_MAX appears to be
a relevant example), some are no longer in UAPI, but still in custom
glibc headers (AF_MAX/PF_MAX).  These appear to be equally useless.