Re: Dead symbol elimination, stage 1

From: Eric S. Raymond (esr@thyrsus.com)
Date: Thu Apr 19 2001 - 13:06:50 EST


David Woodhouse <dwmw2@infradead.org>:
>
> > -# CONFIG_MTD_SBC_MEDIAGX is not set
> > -# CONFIG_MTD_ELAN_104NC is not set
> > -# CONFIG_MTD_SA1100 is not set
> > -# CONFIG_MTD_DC21285 is not set
> > -# CONFIG_MTD_CSTM_CFI_JEDEC is not set
> > # CONFIG_MTD_JEDEC is not set
> > # CONFIG_MTD_MIXMEM is not set
> > # CONFIG_MTD_OCTAGON is not set
> > # CONFIG_MTD_VMAX is not set
> > -# CONFIG_MTD_NAND is not set
> > -# CONFIG_MTD_NAND_SPIA is not set
>
> Please don't. People using some of these embedded architectures need to
> update to the latest MTD code (which includes those options) anyway, and I'm
> hoping to merge that all into 2.4 shortly.

Well, then, those symbols will stop being dead. But note this: *none of
those MTD symbols are set*. So the effect of losing these would not be
to lose any CML1 information, merely to make a few more questions visible
during make oldconfig. This is a feature, not a bug.
 
> They're not doing any harm, are they?

They are helping create a dense thicket in which real bugs can hide.

The cross-referencer has already turned up several genuine errors,
and will doubtless turn up more -- but if the reports are stuffed
full of meaningless crap about undead defconfig symbols that aren't
even set, the genuine errors are going to be hard to notice.

-- 
		<a href="http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>

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