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[xfs-masters] Re: question about potentially dead kernel config settings

To: David Chinner <dgc@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [xfs-masters] Re: question about potentially dead kernel config settings for XFS
From: "Robert P. J. Day" <rpjday@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 09:52:35 -0500 (EST)
Cc: xfs-masters@xxxxxxxxxxx
In-reply-to: <20070129142819.GY33919298@melbourne.sgi.com>
References: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0701261607240.30502@CPE00045a9c397f-CM001225dbafb6> <20070128203911.GC33919298@melbourne.sgi.com> <Pine.LNX.4.64.0701290618050.12945@CPE00045a9c397f-CM001225dbafb6> <20070129142819.GY33919298@melbourne.sgi.com>
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On Tue, 30 Jan 2007, David Chinner wrote:

> On Mon, Jan 29, 2007 at 06:24:29AM -0500, Robert P. J. Day wrote:

> > user-configurable kernel setting, it should not have a
> > configuration macro name starting with "CONFIG_" -- that should be
> > reserved for configurable settings defined in Kconfig files.
>
> Yup, and that's exactly what we use them for.
>
> However, we don't anyone to use them in mainline because they are
> for debugging or features that aren't in mainline, but they are not
> easily of ussefully separable from the core XFS code. Hence we use
> CONFIG_XFS_???  options that you can't turn on in mainline to
> enforce this - making them CONFIG_XFS_??? options means we don't
> have to maintain different code in the dev tree and mainline and IMO
> that is a Good Thing.
>
> > if this is strictly
> > an internal debugging macro you're using in-house, it should be called
> > "XFS_DEBUG" as opposed to "CONFIG_" to avoid any confusion and
> > potential future name clashes.
>
> Clashes with what? Someone has suggested moving the X font server
> into the kernel? ;)

sure, i realize that's unlikely but, given that the entire kbuild
structure is based on adding "CONFIG_" prefixes to everything, it just
seems safer to avoid using that prefix for anything not related
directly to a Kconfig file.

it's kind of like telling people not to prefix their kernel variables
with "__".  if they do, it might still work, but is it really worth
taking the chance?  :-)

anyway, it's your call.

rday


-- 
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Robert P. J. Day
Linux Consulting, Training and Annoying Kernel Pedantry
Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA

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