linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] mm: make __GFP_SKIP_ZERO visible to skip zero operation

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Date:   Mon, 4 Sep 2023 10:34:25 -0700
From:   Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:     Michal Hocko <mhocko@...e.com>
Cc:     Alexander Potapenko <glider@...gle.com>,
        Zhaoyang Huang <huangzhaoyang@...il.com>,
        Matthew Wilcox <willy@...radead.org>,
        "zhaoyang.huang" <zhaoyang.huang@...soc.com>,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>, linux-mm@...ck.org,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, ke.wang@...soc.com,
        Marco Elver <elver@...gle.com>,
        Dmitry Vyukov <dvyukov@...gle.com>,
        Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>,
        Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>,
        Eric Biggers <ebiggers@...nel.org>,
        Mateusz Guzik <mjguzik@...il.com>,
        Al Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] mm: make __GFP_SKIP_ZERO visible to skip zero operation

On Mon, 4 Sept 2023 at 00:55, Michal Hocko <mhocko@...e.com> wrote:
>
>       Sooner or later this will become an
> unreviewable mess so the value of init_on_alloc will become very
> dubious.

The value of init_on_alloc is *already* very dubious.

Exactly because people will turn it off, because it hurts performance
so much - and in pointless ways.

You do realize that distributions - well, at least Fedora - simply
don't turn INIT_ON_ALLOC_DEFAULT_ON on at all?

So the current state of init_on_alloc is that nobody sane uses it. You
have to think you're special to enable it, because it is *so* bad.

Security people need to realize that the primary point of computing is
NEVER EVER security. Security is entirely pointless without a usable
system.

Unless security people realize that they are always secondary, they
aren't security people, they are just random wankers.

And people who state this truism had better not get shamed for
standing up to stupidity.

             Linus