linux-kernel - [PATCH v2] Documentation: checkpatch: Add SYMBOLIC

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Date:   Sat,  4 Sep 2021 13:53:30 +0530
From:   Utkarsh Verma <utkarshverma294@...il.com>
To:     Dwaipayan Ray <dwaipayanray1@...il.com>
Cc:     Lukas Bulwahn <lukas.bulwahn@...il.com>,
        Joe Perches <joe@...ches.com>,
        Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>, linux-doc@...r.kernel.org,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
        Utkarsh Verma <utkarshverma294@...il.com>
Subject: [PATCH v2] Documentation: checkpatch: Add SYMBOLIC_PERMS message

Add a new message type SYMBOLIC_PERMS under the 'Permissions'
subsection. Octal permission bits are easier to read and understand
instead of their symbolic macro names.

Suggested-by: Lukas Bulwahn <lukas.bulwahn@...il.com>
Signed-off-by: Utkarsh Verma <utkarshverma294@...il.com>
Acked-by: Lukas Bulwahn <lukas.bulwahn@...il.com>
Reviewed-by: Lukas Bulwahn <lukas.bulwahn@...il.com>
---
 Documentation/dev-tools/checkpatch.rst | 11 +++++++++++
 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+)

diff --git a/Documentation/dev-tools/checkpatch.rst b/Documentation/dev-tools/checkpatch.rst
index f0956e9ea2d8..41037594ec24 100644
--- a/Documentation/dev-tools/checkpatch.rst
+++ b/Documentation/dev-tools/checkpatch.rst
@@ -957,6 +957,17 @@ Permissions
     Permission bits should use 4 digit octal permissions (like 0700 or 0444).
     Avoid using any other base like decimal.
 
+  **SYMBOLIC_PERMS**
+    Permission bits in the octal form are more readable and easier to
+    understand than their symbolic counterparts because many command-line
+    tools use this notation only. Experienced kernel developers have been using
+    this traditional Unix permission bits for decades and so they find it
+    easier to understand the octal notation than the symbolic macros.
+    For example, it is harder to read S_IWUSR|S_IRUGO than 0644, which
+    obscures the developer's intent rather than clarifying it.
+
+    See: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFw5v23T-zvDZp-MmD_EYxF8WbafwwB59934FV7g21uMGQ@mail.gmail.com/
+
 
 Spacing and Brackets
 --------------------
-- 
2.25.1