Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2005 22:37:05 +0100
From: Jean Delvare <khali@linux-fr.org>
To: Dmitry Torokhov <dtor_core@ameritech.net>
Cc: Greg KH <greg@kroah.com>, Russell King <rmk+lkml@arm.linux.org.uk>,
       LKML <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Minor change to platform_device_register_simple
 prototype
Message-Id: <20051208223705.6d375083.khali@linux-fr.org>
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References: <20051205212337.74103b96.khali@linux-fr.org>
	<20051205202707.GH15201@flint.arm.linux.org.uk>
	<200512070105.40169.dtor_core@ameritech.net>
	<20051207170426.GB28414@kroah.com>
	<d120d5000512081321p36c422cdg4d360263d89fa826@mail.gmail.com>
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Hi Dmitry,

> Another thing - bunch of input code currently creates platform devices
> but does not create corresponding platform drivers (because they don't
> support suspend/resume or shutdown and probing is done right there in
> module init function).
> 
> What is the general policy on platform devices? Should they always have
> a corresponding driver or is it OK to leave them without one?

If it wasn't OK, I'd expect platform_device_alloc and
platform_device_register to fail when no matching driver is found.
Since they do not, I'd guess it is considered OK not to have a matching
driver. But that's really only a guess and not a replacement for
Russell's (or Greg's) authoritative answer.

Reciprocally, if it is finally decided that it is *not* OK to have a
platform device without a driver, they we want to make both functions
mentioned above fail when no match is found.

I am interested in the answer myself, as I am just realizing that my
own driver registers a platform driver but doesn't use it at all, just
like Dmitry described for his input drivers - so if I am allowed not to
register this platform driver I may just drop that part.

Thanks,
-- 
Jean Delvare
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