linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 1/5] Renaming weak prng invocations - prandom_bytes_state, prandom_u32

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Date:   Wed, 14 Dec 2022 17:53:51 +0200
From:   Andy Shevchenko <andriy.shevchenko@...ux.intel.com>
To:     Eric Dumazet <edumazet@...gle.com>
Cc:     Stanislaw Gruszka <stanislaw.gruszka@...ux.intel.com>,
        david.keisarschm@...l.huji.ac.il, dri-devel@...ts.freedesktop.org,
        linux-mtd@...ts.infradead.org, linux-scsi@...r.kernel.org,
        linux-mm@...ck.org, netdev@...r.kernel.org, bpf@...r.kernel.org,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/5] Renaming weak prng invocations -
 prandom_bytes_state, prandom_u32_state

On Wed, Dec 14, 2022 at 04:15:49PM +0100, Eric Dumazet wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 14, 2022 at 1:34 PM Stanislaw Gruszka
> <stanislaw.gruszka@...ux.intel.com> wrote:
> > On Mon, Dec 12, 2022 at 03:35:20PM +0100, Jason A. Donenfeld wrote:
> > > Please CC me on future revisions.
> > >
> > > As of 6.2, the prandom namespace is *only* for predictable randomness.
> > > There's no need to rename anything. So nack on this patch 1/5.
> >
> > It is not obvious (for casual developers like me) that p in prandom
> > stands for predictable. Some renaming would be useful IMHO.
> 
> Renaming makes backports more complicated, because stable teams will
> have to 'undo' name changes.
> Stable teams are already overwhelmed by the amount of backports, and
> silly merge conflicts.
> 
> Take another example :
> 
> u64 timecounter_read(struct timecounter *tc)
> 
> You would think this function would read the timecounter, right ?
> 
> Well, it _updates_ many fields from @tc, so a 'better name' would also
> be useful.

Right, at some point we become into the world of

#define true 0

because... (read below)

> linux kernel is not for casual readers.

P.S. I believe you applied a common sense and in some cases
     the renames are necessary.

-- 
With Best Regards,
Andy Shevchenko