Re: Compat 32-bit syscall entry from 64-bit task!?

[Linus Torvalds]

On Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 1:53 PM, H. Peter Anvin <hpa@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> I think we can obviously agree that regsets is the only way to go for
> any kind of new state.

So I really don't necessarily agree at all.

Exactly because there is a heavy burden to introducing new models.
It's not only relatively much more kernel code, it's also relatively
much more painful for user code. If we can hide it in existing
structures, user code is *much* better off, because any existing code
to get the state will just continue to work. Otherwise, you need to
have the code to figure out the new structures (how do you compile it
without the new kernel headers?), you need to do the extra accesses
conditionally etc etc.

There's a real cost to introducing new interfaces. There's a *reason*
people try to make do with old ones.

          Linus
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