[...]
> Paul, this code looks unreadable only to ones who does not want
> to read it. F.e. go to bookstore and buy a book mmm... on algebraic topology.
> Is it readable? NO. Absolutely. It is necessary to learn some things
> before one day you will be able to understand that it is exciting
> reading. And if someone continues to blame on its unreadability
> instead of starting to learn at least arithmetics, he will never get this
> pleasure and the book will finish its way as toilet paper.
But why make it harder than absolutely necessary for newcomers to start
hacking on the code? They will be the ones that will continue your work (as
you continue the work of those that came before you) when (not if!) you
move on to other stuff. A book on algebraic topology is fine as long as the
books you have to study beforehand are known to you. In school, that's the
job of the courses you've taken before. With the kernel you'll have to tell
people about this somewhere, give an overview and hints, as they don't have
previous kernels to read. Yes, it is much more fun to work on the leading
edge, but *somebody* must do arithmetic in first grade too.
I know this is hard work for you as a developer. But naming conventions,
coding style, ... do have their part in making things easier for newcomers
and oldtimers alike, and if there are not enough newcomers, your code will
die. If naming and code organization _is_ screwed up, perhaps it would be a
good idea to announce mayor breakage in 2.5, and clean it up there.
[Ducks and runs for cover]
PS: If this reads like a flame, please calm down and think it over again.
-- Horst von Brand vonbrand@sleipnir.valparaiso.cl Casilla 9G, Viņa del Mar, Chile +56 32 672616- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/