Re:Linux kernel maintainer says no to AMDGPU patch
by nindalf on Friday December 09, 2016 @03:27AM
(#13137468)
I agree with you almost entirely, except the part about fixing Linux. If the abstraction that Linux provides isn't suitable for some reason, it probably isn't straightforward to change it because of compatibility with existing code.
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Re:Linux kernel maintainer says no to AMDGPU patch
by caf on Friday December 09, 2016 @04:26AM
(#13137660)
That's not so much a concern within the kernel boundary, which is the case that applies here. If you have a compelling reason to redesign an internal API, you "just" have to fix up all the code across the tree that consumes it. Changes are regularly made to the internal VFS interfaces, for example.
Re:Linux kernel maintainer says no to AMDGPU patch
by wtallis on Friday December 09, 2016 @06:21AM
(#13138091)
It's also often the case that kernel-driver interfaces are extended without breaking compatibility. In those cases, you want to ensure that the extensions are suitable for more than one driver to consume.