netdev - Re: [PATCH net-next] tipc: cleanup function namespace

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Date:	Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:53:21 -0400
From:	Paul Gortmaker <paul.gortmaker@...driver.com>
To:	Neil Horman <nhorman@...driver.com>
CC:	Stephen Hemminger <shemminger@...tta.com>,
	David Miller <davem@...emloft.net>, netdev@...r.kernel.org,
	allan.stephens@...driver.com, Jon Maloy <jon.maloy@...csson.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH net-next] tipc: cleanup function namespace

On 10-10-13 09:29 PM, Neil Horman wrote:
> On Wed, Oct 13, 2010 at 08:23:24PM -0400, Paul Gortmaker wrote:
>> On 10-10-13 07:20 PM, Stephen Hemminger wrote:
>>> Do some cleanups of TIPC based on make namespacecheck
>>>     1. Don't export unused symbols
>>>     2. Eliminate dead code
>>>     3. Make functions and variables local
>>>     4. Rename buf_acquire to tipc_buf_acquire since it is used in several files
>>>
>>> Compile tested only.
>>> This make break out of tree kernel modules that depend on TIPC routines.
>>
>> Hi Stephen,
>>
>> When I first started looking at TIPC code, I too came to the
>> same conclusion as you did and was about to do #1,2,3 -- but
>> then I was told that the exported symbols were part of an API
>> and might be in use by folks here and there as per this thread:
>>
>> http://www.mail-archive.com/netdev@vger.kernel.org/msg30208.html
>>
> I think its telling the the argument in the above thread for keeping the API
> were that users of it were out there and 'likely to contribute' in the future.
> That thread was 3 years ago.  They might be using the API from outside the
> kernel tree, but they're not planning on contributing.  As Christoph noted,
> they're freeloaders.  The community really doesn't need or want to maintain an
> API like that.  If these users are your customers, and removing the API is
> unacceptable, perhaps its time to move the entire TIPC module out of tree.

As I'd said -- I don't know what the use cases of these API users are,
and so as far as I know they aren't customers either.  For what it is
worth, know that I personally wouldn't try and use a business case to
justify a technically wrong decision here on netdev anyway.

I was just describing the history of the situation, and suggesting
one possible slower approach of phasing it out as a courtesy to those
users, in the same way that the kernel community has extended that
same courtesy with other things in feature-removal.txt

In the end, since Jon is OK with the removal, and is in the process of
communicating this to the API users he is aware of, I sure don't have
any reason to try and save the API.  If folks are good with having it
just go away overnight, then great -- I'll be just as happy to see it
disappear as you and Stephen.  So, a long winded way of saying...

Acked-by: Paul Gortmaker <paul.gortmaker@...driver.com>

Paul.

> 
> Neil
> 

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