linux-kernel - Re: [GIT PULL] aio poll fixes for 5.16-rc5

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Date:   Fri, 10 Dec 2021 15:00:36 -0800
From:   Eric Biggers <ebiggers@...nel.org>
To:     Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc:     Alexander Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>,
        Benjamin LaHaise <bcrl@...ck.org>, linux-aio@...ck.org,
        linux-fsdevel <linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Ramji Jiyani <ramjiyani@...gle.com>,
        Christoph Hellwig <hch@....de>,
        Oleg Nesterov <oleg@...hat.com>, Jens Axboe <axboe@...nel.dk>,
        Martijn Coenen <maco@...roid.com>,
        Xie Yongji <xieyongji@...edance.com>
Subject: Re: [GIT PULL] aio poll fixes for 5.16-rc5

On Fri, Dec 10, 2021 at 02:18:12PM -0800, Linus Torvalds wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 10, 2021 at 10:33 AM Eric Biggers <ebiggers@...nel.org> wrote:
> >
> > This has been tested with the libaio test suite, as well as with test
> > programs I wrote that reproduce the first two bugs.  I am sending this
> > pull request myself as no one seems to be maintaining this code.
> 
> Pulled.
> 
> The "nobody really maintains or cares about epoll/aio" makes me wonder
> if we should just remove the "if EXPERT" from the config options we
> have on them, and start encouraging people to perhaps not even build
> that code any more?
> 
> Because I'm sure we have users of it, but maybe they are few enough
> that saying "don't enable this feature unless you need it" is the
> right thing to do...

Isn't epoll more commonly used than aio?  Either way, removing 'if EXPERT' from
both would make sense, so that they aren't forced on just because someone didn't
set CONFIG_EXPERT.  I think that a lot of people have these options enabled but
don't need them.  Android used to be in that boat for CONFIG_AIO (i.e. it wasn't
needed but was sometimes enabled anyway, maybe due to !CONFIG_EXPERT).
Unfortunately Android has started depending on CONFIG_AIO, so it seems Android
will need to keep it set, but I think most other Linux systems don't need it.

- Eric