linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 1/1] uaccess: Rename masked_user_access to sanitised_user

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Message-ID: <CAHk-=wiptD8Re=Tr_ymqrpzPp2L053e5XfvrdiPHumc91H3eoQ@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2025 06:43:05 -1000
From: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To: David Laight <david.laight.linux@...il.com>
Cc: linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, Alexander Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>, 
	Christian Brauner <brauner@...nel.org>, Jan Kara <jack@...e.cz>, Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>, 
	Kees Cook <kees@...nel.org>, Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>, 
	Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>, Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>, 
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>, Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>, x86@...nel.org, 
	Christophe Leroy <christophe.leroy@...roup.eu>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/1] uaccess: Rename masked_user_access to sanitised_user_access

On Thu, 23 Oct 2025 at 02:44, David Laight <david.laight.linux@...il.com> wrote:
>
> masked_user_access is a bad name and should probably be reserved for
> code that is removing high address bits that the hardware ignores (LAM).

Bah,. I actually think "sanitized" is even worse. It reads badly and
is longer/harder to type.

Proof: I just wrote sanitized with a z without thinking about it,
because it's one of those words that can be spelled both ways, and the
z is the Americanized spelling.

So no. NAK. This is just much worse.

I think "masked" in the sense of "covered" or "hidden" (as opposed to
"mask" in the sense of "bitmask" which is where my original word
choice came from) is a fine word, without those kinds of horrific
issues.

After all, that's where the "bit masking" word actually originally
comes from anyway. We may think of it as a mask of bits, but "mask" is
literally about hiding your face.

If somebody comes up with a better name, that's fine, but 'sanitized'
is absolutely not it.

             Linus