Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1030409AbWHOTKV (ORCPT ); Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:10:21 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1030464AbWHOTKV (ORCPT ); Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:10:21 -0400 Received: from lixom.net ([66.141.50.11]:19420 "EHLO mail.lixom.net") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1030409AbWHOTKT (ORCPT ); Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:10:19 -0400 Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 14:05:24 -0500 To: James K Lewis Cc: Olof Johansson , Arnd Bergmann , Jens Osterkamp , Linas Vepstas , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linuxppc-dev@ozlabs.org, netdev@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: [PATCH 4/4]: powerpc/cell spidernet ethtool -i version number info. Message-ID: <20060815190524.GW6603@pb15.lixom.net> References: <20060811180013.GB6550@pb15.lixom.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.11 From: Olof Johansson Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1276 Lines: 33 On Fri, Aug 11, 2006 at 01:50:19PM -0500, James K Lewis wrote: > Hi Olof, > > There are several reasons why an Ethernet driver should have an up to > date version number: > > 1. Customers like to see they are really getting a new version. > > 2. It makes it easier for support personnel (me in this case) to see which > driver they have. Sure, sometimes I can talk them thru doing a "sum" on > the .ko and all that, but why not just use the version number? That's what > it is for. And no, you can't just assume they have the version that came > with the kernel they are running. It doesn't work that way. > > 3. It makes bug reporting easier. > > 4. I have already run into too many problems and wasted too much time > working with drivers when the number was NOT getting updated. Thanks for the info, Jim. Sounds like it's most useful if a customer (or distro) takes the driver out of the tree and run it with a different kernel, i.e. when kernel and driver versions no longer go together. Makes sense. -Olof - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/