Re: [PATCH] Rationalise ACPI backlight implementation

From: Andrew Morton
Date: Sun Jan 27 2008 - 01:01:46 EST


> On Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:44:48 -0500 Len Brown <lenb@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Tuesday 25 December 2007 21:03, Matthew Garrett wrote:
> > The sysfs backlight class provides no mechanism for querying the
> > acceptable brightness for a backlight. The ACPI spec states that values
> > are only valid if they are reported as available by the firmware. Since
> > we can't provide that information to userspace, instead collapse the
> > range to the number of actual values that can be set.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Matthew Garrett <mjg59@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> I wish we did this in the first place.
> But doing it now is an API change -- since
> with the old way 100 always meant 100% brightness, yes?
>
> so my concern is that if we change what "10" means, somebody like akpm
> with an existing script gets grumpy.

It takes more than that to make me grumpy. I've been very grumpy lately.

- Create a new /sys node with a new name which has the new semantics.

- Deprecate the old /sys entry by emitting an angry printk when someone
uses it.

- Wait 12 months

- Kill the old one.

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