Re: [RFC] New driver information

From: Maxim
Date: Fri Feb 16 2007 - 09:42:13 EST


On Friday 16 February 2007 16:08:53 Thiago Galesi wrote:
> SInce this information does not, in any way, affect the functioning of
> the driver... It is not "executable code", I don't see the point of
> it.
>
> For "module_licence" we have the restriction of some functions being
> used only for GPL code, but for this?!? I really don't see it...
>
> Just think: what would this macro do, "executable-code wise"?
>
>
> On 2/16/07, Heikki Orsila <shdl@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > I just read
> >
> > http://kerneltrap.org/node/7729
> >
> > and it occured to me that it would be informative to have a new device
> > driver macro. The motivation for the new macro would be 4 issues:
> >
> > * Is it possible to get specifications for the device?
> > * If yes, under what terms? (nda, public)
> > * Where to get public specs?
> > * How many closed and open drivers in the Linux source tree?
> >
> > I suggest to add following macro:
> >
> > MODULE_SPECIFICATION(terms, source);
> >
> > where "terms" is one of
> >
> > * MODULE_SPEC_ANY_PARTY_NDA
> > - specification available to any party for an NDA
> > * MODULE_SPEC_ANY_PARTY
> > - specification available in public, or at least available
> > without NDA to any party
> > * MODULE_SPEC_RESTRICTED
> > - none of the above
> >
> > and "source":
> >
> > * contact address for nda specs
> > * any public source for a public specification (http://, email address,
> > ...)
> > * empty string otherwise
> >
> > I realise this macro somewhat circumvents the purpose of Documentation/
> > directory but the idea is to have a direct 1:1 mapping between drivers
> > and specification sources so that it would be easy to collect statistics
> > of "open" hardware by using grep et al.
> >
> > What do you think? Useless annotations or useful information?
> >
> > --
> > Heikki Orsila Barbie's law:
> > heikki.orsila@xxxxxx "Math is hard, let's go shopping!"
> > http://www.iki.fi/shd
> > -
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> >
>
>

I think both sides are right.

I think that documentation about drivers and their specs is a good thing ( i personally spent lot if time to locate it and find that it is unavailable in some cases)
But I agree that it has no place in executable code , instead I think such list can be in /Documentation or even in MAINTAINERS

Regards,
Maxim Levitsky
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