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Re: [NETLINK]: Schedule removal of old macros exported to userspace
Am Samstag, 9. Dezember 2006 11:39 schrieb Thomas Graf:
[Added linux-kernel to CC]
> Index: net-2.6/Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt
> ===================================================================
> --- net-2.6.orig/Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt 2006-12-09
NAK.
> +What: Netlink message and attribute parsing macros
> +When: July 2007
> +Why: The old interface which often lead to buggy code has been replaced
> + with a new type safe interface. Parts of this interface, mainly
> + macros, has been exported to userspace via linux/netlink.h and
> + linux/rtnetlink.h. Use of this interface is discontinued, all
> helper + and utility macros will be removed. Userspace applications
> should use + one of the available libraries.
> +Who: Thomas Graf <tgraf@suug.ch>
So glibc should be linked to libnl that depends on glibc to compile? Be
serious!
I see a worrying tendency of kernel developers trying to push their
stable-api-is-nonsense approach to userspace. You cannot just go ahead and
remove userspace API that has been exported for years in a six month period.
99,9% of application developers are not even aware that
feature-removal-schedule.txt exists. Sorry, these macros will have to stay
for *years*, even though they are ugly.
Btw, do you know why I didn't realize the breakage before a user alerted me? I
stopped testing and running every new kernel. Reason? It was stated that
2.6.18 requires a mandatory upgrade of udev bloat. Last time I needed to
compile a new udev because of incompatible sysfs changes, it took me over
three hours to get my notebook running again. Considering that I need to do
actual money earning work on that system, 2.6.17.x runs nicely and has no new
bugs that concern me, I just keep using it. Collateral damage.
You know, I'm not so happy with the in kernel stable-api-is-nonsense approach
because it does create insecurity for developers and therefore bugs. Anyway,
I accept it, I'm just a part time kernel hacker. But behaving towards
applications developers this way is *deadly* for linux acceptance! Stuff like
KDE, or a postgres database server, or whatever is complex enough that
developers don't have time to follow userspace breakage introduced just
because of ugly macros.
Stefan