RE: PUBLIC CHALLENGE: (was RE: devfs again, (was RE: USB device a
Michael Cummins (mjcumm@isa.mim.com.au)
Fri, 8 Oct 1999 09:30:57 +1000
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Horst von Brand [mailto:vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl]
> Sent: Friday, 8 October 1999 7:32
> To: Shawn Leas
> Cc: linux-kernel@vger.rutgers.edu
> Subject: Re: PUBLIC CHALLENGE: (was RE: devfs again, (was RE:
> USB device
> a lloc ation) )
>
>
[Deleted for Bandwidth Efficiency]
> If technical reasons are given for disliking the idea, it is
> "emotional
> stupidity", and the idea is "better" just because you say so.
>
> Reasons against devfs:
>
> - Permanent attributes are kludged on
> - Breaks filesystem semantics in several ways, makes it very
> hard to check
> ramifications
> - Impacts system administration, making device managing a lot
> less Unixy
> - Impacts _every_ single driver in the kernel, even if it isn't used
> - What can be done with devfs can be done without it.
> Granted, it is less
> convenient. But I add/remove devices from my machines perhaps once a
> month, so that doesn't cut it for me.
>
> Reasons for devfs:
>
> - Makes handling hot-plug easier, but marginally so
> - Unclutters /dev
O.K. I'm out of my depth here a little. With what you put forward as pro's
and con's I don't think devfs is a good idea at all. Not enough reward for
damage done.
Couldn't somebody write a program for /dev that does what linuxconf(and
others) has done for administration. Just an intelligent interface layer,
not modification to the kernel.
Michael Cummins
>
> Also: It is extra code, has to be maintained and updated, and
> has to be
> accounted for in new driver developments. It _will_ add new
> bugs, even new
> classes of bugs. This doesn't come for free.
>
> Weighting the above, the answer for me is clearly "no".
> --
> Dr. Horst H. von Brand
mailto:vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl
Departamento de Informatica Fono: +56 32 654431
Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria +56 32 654239
Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile Fax: +56 32 797513
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