Re: [PATCH v4 2/7] nvmem: qcom-spmi-sdam: Migrate to devm_spmi_subdevice_alloc_and_add()

[David Lechner]

On 9/19/25 8:59 AM, Greg KH wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 18, 2025 at 10:00:29PM +0300, Andy Shevchenko wrote:
>> I,o.w. I principally disagree on putting MODULE_IMPORT_NS() into the header
>> file.
> 
> Yes, please never do that, it defeats the purpose of module namespaces
> completly.  If you don't want to have module namespaces, don't use them
> for your subsytem.  Don't use them and then make them moot by putting
> MODULE_IMPORT_NS() in the .h file for the symbols as that's pointless.
> 
> thanks,
> 
> greg k-h


Could someone suggest some additional explanation to add to
Documentation/core-api/symbol-namespaces.rst to explain the
reasoning behind this?

Right now, the only part of that document that say _why_ we have
module namespces says:

	That is useful for documentation purposes (think of the
	SUBSYSTEM_DEBUG namespace) as well as for limiting the
	availability of a set of symbols for use in other parts
	of the kernel.

So I don't see the connection between this explanation and and:

	[Putting MODULE_IMPORT_NS() into the header] defeats
	the purpose of module namespaces completely.

I am guilty of putting it in a header, so if I need to fix that
I would like to actually understand why first. Andy has mentioned
something about potential abuses, but without any example, I haven't
been able to understand what this would actually actually look like.
Or maybe there is some other reason that Greg is thinking of that
hasn't been mentioned yet?