linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v4] x86/bugs: Add a separate config for each mitigation

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Date:   Thu, 12 Oct 2023 09:29:20 +0200
From:   Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>
To:     Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@...nel.org>
Cc:     Breno Leitao <leitao@...ian.org>, tglx@...utronix.de,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>,
        Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>, x86@...nel.org,
        "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
        Pawan Gupta <pawan.kumar.gupta@...ux.intel.com>, leit@...a.com,
        "open list:X86 ARCHITECTURE (32-BIT AND 64-BIT)" 
        <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v4] x86/bugs: Add a separate config for each mitigation

On Wed, Oct 11, 2023 at 03:03:25PM -0700, Josh Poimboeuf wrote:
> I wouldn't call it senseless churn.  There are concrete benefits -- for
> both users and developers -- of having all the mitigation config options
> living in the same config namespace.

I don't see it. What does the same namespace give you? So you see in the
code a bunch of ifdeffery and some or all of them have
CONFIG_MITIGATION_ prepended. To me it doesn't matter whether they're
mitigations or not - it is just the next Kconfig symbol.

> Sure, the change might cause pain for users who disable these options,
> but do those users actually exist?

Apparently there are use cases where people simply want to disable all
that mitigation crap because they want their performance back. This
thread being one. And I know of another one with a similar sentiment.

-- 
Regards/Gruss,
    Boris.

https://people.kernel.org/tglx/notes-about-netiquette