linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] Documentation/changes: Raise minimum supported binutils version to 2.23

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Message-ID: <202003241051.D2CF0F0@keescook>
Date:   Tue, 24 Mar 2020 10:53:31 -0700
From:   Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>
To:     Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc:     Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>,
        "Jason A. Donenfeld" <Jason@...c4.com>,
        Masahiro Yamada <masahiroy@...nel.org>,
        Arvind Sankar <nivedita@...m.mit.edu>,
        "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>, X86 ML <x86@...nel.org>,
        Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Thomas Lendacky <Thomas.Lendacky@....com>,
        Mauro Rossi <issor.oruam@...il.com>,
        Michael Matz <matz@...e.de>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Documentation/changes: Raise minimum supported binutils
 version to 2.23

On Tue, Mar 24, 2020 at 09:37:13AM -0700, Linus Torvalds wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 24, 2020 at 9:28 AM Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de> wrote:
> >
> > Are you or Kees going to deal with any fallout from upping the binutils
> > version, rushed in in the last week before the merge window?
> 
> I think it's ok. It's not going to cause any _subtle_ failures, it's
> going to cause very clear "oh, now it doesn't build" errors.
> 
> No?
> 
> And binutils 2.23 is what, 7+ years old by now and apparently had
> known failure cases too.
> 
> But if there are silent and subtle failures, that might be a reason to
> be careful. Are there?

FWIW, I have plenty of other hills to die on, so I have no urgency on
this change. I actually thought it had already happened, since it was
brought up a while ago. :) I am just excited to see it happen since it
unblocks other work I've been touching. As long as it's "eventually",
I don't care when. :)

-- 
Kees Cook