Received-SPF: pass (google.com: best guess record for domain of linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org designates 209.132.180.67 as permitted sender) client-ip=209.132.180.67;
MIME-Version: 1.0
References: <20180930205448.26205-1-natechancellor@gmail.com>
 <10b12992-3570-4646-374b-82cbd7276839@acm.org> <CAKwvOd=wgxB69dMxzMeH2edCn=TdQGPGkNVW1e=QHPTJtO9ZNw@mail.gmail.com>
 <1538503063.193396.6.camel@acm.org> <CAKwvOdmsNEexQL9R8rgcRcXTZButYM6YWwG8bhVWCoJ8bOqCrA@mail.gmail.com>
 <1538521591.193396.8.camel@acm.org> <20181025213144.GB24709@flashbox>
 <CAKwvOdn=TvoGdFvgxX6TyXBXnhVLttriRrZEnzS6DjcjL64DPA@mail.gmail.com>
 <20181025225548.GA10326@flashbox> <CAKwvOdnwmf47_m_0K5OCLmXbrkLNnekpNOPCCMeJqkuqKUbQ-A@mail.gmail.com>
 <1540576908.66186.103.camel@acm.org> <CAKwvOdnYx60JkJHJkD7CYA9yx5Oa7Tn9q4aZ3-tcZGx++yoduQ@mail.gmail.com>
 <1540589437.66186.124.camel@acm.org> <CAKwvOdm-xYRqCBXhLC1ceC44_rEmggW4qiSgGpRkpL+p-NadVg@mail.gmail.com>
 <1540591147.66186.127.camel@acm.org>
In-Reply-To: <1540591147.66186.127.camel@acm.org>
From:   Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>
Date:   Fri, 26 Oct 2018 15:07:39 -0700
Message-ID: <CAKwvOdmUhtK10cbYFoEJJp4O8LA_F-+f68A_NcL_fm_FH6QodA@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] libosd: Remove ignored __weak attribute
To:     bvanassche@acm.org, Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
Cc:     ooo@electrozaur.com, Nathan Chancellor <natechancellor@gmail.com>,
        "James E.J. Bottomley" <jejb@linux.vnet.ibm.com>,
        "Martin K. Petersen" <martin.petersen@oracle.com>,
        linux-scsi@vger.kernel.org, LKML <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
        hch@infradead.org
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org
Precedence: bulk

On Fri, Oct 26, 2018 at 2:59 PM Bart Van Assche <bvanassche@acm.org> wrote:
>
> On Fri, 2018-10-26 at 14:36 -0700, Nick Desaulniers wrote:
> > On Fri, Oct 26, 2018 at 2:30 PM Bart Van Assche <bvanassche@acm.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > On Fri, 2018-10-26 at 14:00 -0700, Nick Desaulniers wrote:
> > > > On Fri, Oct 26, 2018 at 11:01 AM Bart Van Assche <bvanassche@acm.org> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > On Fri, 2018-10-26 at 10:54 -0700, Nick Desaulniers wrote:
> > > > > > If creating one instance of this variable is a functional change, I
> > > > > > can't help but suspect the original code was wrong.  But maybe Bart,
> > > > > > Boaz, or Christoph can clarify or have more thoughts on this?  Looks
> > > > > > like Boaz added this header in commit de258bf5e638 ("[SCSI] libosd:
> > > > > > OSDv1 Headers").
> > > > >
> > > > > Hi Nick and Nathan,
> > > > >
> > > > > Had you noticed the following e-mail from early October:
> > > > > https://marc.info/?l=linux-kernel&m=153849955503249?
> > > >
> > > > From this subthread with Linus, removal of the exofs fs and scsi osd
> > > > code would be a user visible change and is not an option. See:
> > > > https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/10/27/3
> > > > https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/10/27/44
> > >
> > > Hi Nick,
> > >
> > > Linus wrote that removing a filesystem is considered a userspace breakage
> > > if a user notices. The key part is "if a user notices". Who are the exofs
> > > users?
> >
> > See my thoughts on this in https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/10/27/27.
> > Particularly the part about the IMO catch 22.
> >
> > Neither you nor I can claim "there are none."
>
> That's not completely correct. The standard approach to check whether or not
> a driver is still being used is to check its git history. If the number of
> contributors is low and it was several years ago that a new feature was added
> or a bug has been fixed it is likely that nobody is using that driver anymore.
>
> Bart.
>

Bart,
I don't disagree with you, I just don't see how what you state can be
reconciled with Linus' response in
https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/10/27/44.  Those two viewpoints seem
incompatible to me, but maybe there's a nuance I'm missing?

Nathan and I are just pointing out a small fix to eliminate a small
warning, deleting all this code does kind of feels like "throwing out
the baby with the bath water." A nuclear option for what would be a
small change otherwise.  Maybe it's good to discuss the EOL for
exofs/osd, but can we please decouple that conversation from the small
change Nathan and I are proposing?
-- 
Thanks,
~Nick Desaulniers