Re: [PATCH 0/2] irqchip: make non-modular code explicitly non-modular

From: Paul Gortmaker
Date: Tue Oct 13 2015 - 22:26:57 EST


[Re: [PATCH 0/2] irqchip: make non-modular code explicitly non-modular] On 12/10/2015 (Mon 09:04) Geert Uytterhoeven wrote:

> Hi Paul,
>
> On Mon, Oct 12, 2015 at 1:05 AM, Paul Gortmaker
> <paul.gortmaker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

[...]

> > Paul Gortmaker (2):
> > drivers/irqchip: make irq-renesas-intc-irqpin.c explicitly non-modular
> > drivers/irqchip: make irq-renesas-irqc.c explicitly non-modular
> >
> > drivers/irqchip/irq-renesas-intc-irqpin.c | 24 +-----------------------
> > drivers/irqchip/irq-renesas-irqc.c | 30 +-----------------------------
> > 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 52 deletions(-)
>
> Both of these are "external interrupt controllers", meaning that on some boards
> they are used to handle only interrupts from external devices (e.g. Ethernet),
> which is optional.
>
> Hence IMHO the bool should be changed to tristate instead.

So, at the risk of repeating myself -- changing to tristate widens the
scope on build coverage and everything else. When I did this for a
staging driver, I got caught in symbols that were not exported. Not
critically complex, but it does show that allowing a new config option
can make things break. Hence keeping the support matrix the same is
table stakes to allow me to make this tree wide update in a way that
scales.

As the changes I propose do not change the runtime, I think that the
verification of the extension of functionality lies on those who think
moving these drivers from bool to tristate is a genuine value add.

If for no other reason, it at least does keep a bisect honest in showing
where existing functionality broke vs. added functionality brought in
new breakage.

Paul.
--

>
> Gr{oetje,eeting}s,
>
> Geert
>
> --
> Geert Uytterhoeven -- There's lots of Linux beyond ia32 -- geert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> In personal conversations with technical people, I call myself a hacker. But
> when I'm talking to journalists I just say "programmer" or something like that.
> -- Linus Torvalds
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