Tom Rini <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> On Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 02:20:05PM -0500, Eric S. Raymond wrote:
> > Tom Rini <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> > > Then what's wrong with putting these in arch/$(ARCH)/rules.cml, or
> > > arch/$(ARCH)/boot/rules.cml ?
> >
> > Nothing. But if they aren't single declarations, what's going to
> > *keep* them there?
>
> What? If the arch maintainer decides to move them, that's their
> problem. I can't really think of a good reason. If you really want to
> enforce a single common spot for 'em, make it a policy thing or at least
> strongly recommended.
>
> But I also don't see what the problem is anyhow. What are you worried
> might happen?
Suppose we have split declarations for derivations or defaults of
symbols that are shared across architectures. It would then be
locally convenient for configuration maintainers to move these
declarations from the top-level rules.cml file piecemeal to rules
files in different arch subtrees, or elsewhere.
The problem is that it then becomes globally difficult for someone
reading the rulebase to know what the derivation or default behavior
of a symbol actually is. Different pieces of the behavior could be
scattered all through the rulebase. Even with cross-referencing tools
(which I have written and tested and use regularly for
sanity-checking) the effort involved in assembling and integrating
that picture could be significant. (It already is for the one case
where supporting split declarations was unavoidable, which is
visibility predicates.)
The implementation problems for split declarations are a bit grotty, but
nothing I can't handle. I actually started implementing split derivations
at one time, then stopped and backed out the changes when I realized they
would probably turn into a readability/maintainance nightmare.
John Cowan thinks I'm unduly influenced by having had to maintain the
rulebase all by myself up to now. He's half-right; I've got battle
scars, yes indeed I do. The last thing I want to do is casually
create a maintainability problem for anybody who will need to take a
global view of the config rules in the future. Like...say...Linus?
--
<a href="http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/";>Eric S. Raymond</a>
Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as cooperation with good.
-- Mohandas Gandhi
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