To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
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From: Bill Davidsen <davidsen@tmr.com>
Newsgroups: mail.linux-kernel
Subject: Re: Should struct inode be made available to userspace?
Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2004 13:39:41 -0500
Organization: TMR Associates, Inc
Message-ID: <bt71ip$cer$1@gatekeeper.tmr.com>
References: <200312292040.00409.mmazur@kernel.pl> <20031229195742.GL4176@parcelfarce.linux.theplanet.co.uk>
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viro@parcelfarce.linux.theplanet.co.uk wrote:

> struct inode and structures containing it should not be used outside of kernel.
> Moreover, foo_fs.h should be seriously trimmed down and everything _not_
> useful outside of kernel should be taken into fs/foo/*; other kernel code
> also doesn't give a fsck for that stuff, so it should be private to filesystem
> instead of polluting include/linux/*.

Moving the definitions is fine, but some user programs, like backup 
programs, do benefit from direct interpretation of the inode. Clearly 
that's not a normal user program, but this information is not only 
useful inside the kernel.

-- 
bill davidsen <davidsen@tmr.com>
   CTO TMR Associates, Inc
   Doing interesting things with small computers since 1979
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