netdev - RE: [PATCH next v2 08/11] minmax: Add min_const() and max

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Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2024 21:09:29 +0000
From: David Laight <David.Laight@...LAB.COM>
To: 'Linus Torvalds' <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
CC: "linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>, Netdev
	<netdev@...r.kernel.org>, "dri-devel@...ts.freedesktop.org"
	<dri-devel@...ts.freedesktop.org>, Jens Axboe <axboe@...nel.dk>, "Matthew
 Wilcox (Oracle)" <willy@...radead.org>, Christoph Hellwig
	<hch@...radead.org>, "linux-btrfs@...r.kernel.org"
	<linux-btrfs@...r.kernel.org>, Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Andy Shevchenko <andriy.shevchenko@...ux.intel.com>, "David S . Miller"
	<davem@...emloft.net>, Dan Carpenter <dan.carpenter@...aro.org>, Jani Nikula
	<jani.nikula@...ux.intel.com>
Subject: RE: [PATCH next v2 08/11] minmax: Add min_const() and max_const()

From: Linus Torvalds
> Sent: 25 February 2024 17:14
> 
> On Sun, 25 Feb 2024 at 08:53, David Laight <David.Laight@...lab.com> wrote:
> >
> > The expansions of min() and max() contain statement expressions so are
> > not valid for static intialisers.
> > min_const() and max_const() are expressions so can be used for static
> > initialisers.
> 
> I hate the name.

Picking name is always hard...

> Naming shouldn't be about an implementation detail, particularly not
> an esoteric one like the "C constant expression" rule. That can be
> useful for some internal helper functions or macros, but not for
> something that random people are supposed to USE.
> 
> Telling some random developer that inside an array size declaration or
> a static initializer you need to use "max_const()" because it needs to
> syntactically be a constant expression, and our regular "max()"
> function isn't that, is just *horrid*.
> 
> No, please just use the traditional C model of just using ALL CAPS for
> macro names that don't act like a function.
> 
> Yes, yes, that may end up requiring getting rid of some current users of
> 
>   #define MIN(a,b) ((a)<(b) ? (a):(b))
> 
> but dammit, we don't actually have _that_ many of them, and why should
> we have random drivers doing that anyway?

I'll have a look at what is there.
It might take a three part patch though.
Unless you apply it as a tree-wide patch?

One option is to add as max_const(), then change any existing MAX()
to be max() or max_const() and then finally rename to MAX()?

	David

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