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Date:      Mon, 17 Dec 2001 16:20:32 -0800
From:      Peter Wemm <peter@wemm.org>
To:        Luigi Rizzo <luigi@FreeBSD.org>
Cc:        cvs-committers@FreeBSD.org, cvs-all@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   Re: cvs commit: src/sys/sys sysctl.h src/sys/kern kern_sysctl.c src/sbin/sysctl sysctl.8 sysctl.c 
Message-ID:  <20011218002032.1FAB938CC@overcee.netplex.com.au>
In-Reply-To: <200112160255.fBG2tfi90738@freefall.freebsd.org> 

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Luigi Rizzo wrote:
> luigi       2001/12/15 18:55:41 PST
> 
>   Modified files:
>     sys/sys              sysctl.h 
>     sys/kern             kern_sysctl.c 
>     sbin/sysctl          sysctl.8 sysctl.c 
>   Log:
>   Add code to export and print the description associated to sysctl
>   variables. Use the -d flag in sysctl(8) to see this information.

Sigh.  Here we go again... :-(

----------------------------
revision 1.70
date: 1999/01/10 07:45:27;  author: phk;  state: Exp;  lines: +0 -10
branches:  1.70.2;
Back out last change to sysctl.

It was nay'ed before committing on the grounds that this is not
the way to do it, and has been decided as such several times in
the past.

There is not point in loading gobs of ascii into the kernel when
the only use of that ascii is presentation to the user.

Next thing we'd be adding all section 4 man pages to the loaded
kernel as well.

The argument about KLD's is bogus, klds can store a file in
/usr/share/doc/sysctl/dev/foo/thisvar.txt with a description and
sysctl or other facilities can pick it up there.

Proper documentation will take several K worth of text for many
sysctl variables, we don't want that in the kernel under any
circumstances.

I will welcome any well thought out attempt at improving the
situation wrt. sysctl documentation, but this wasn't it.
----------------------------
revision 1.69
date: 1999/01/10 05:33:43;  author: des;  state: Exp;  lines: +11 -1
Add kernel support for sysctl descriptions. The NO_SYSCTL_DESCRIPTIONS option
disables them if they're not wanted; in that case, sysctl_sysctl_descr will
always return an empty string.
----------------------------


>  Note to developers: do we want this in 4.5 ? It is a very small change
>          and very useful for documentation purposes.

Absolutely not!  This changes the ABI and could cause crashes when
loading old KLD's onto a newer kernel.

Cheers,
-Peter
--
Peter Wemm - peter@FreeBSD.org; peter@yahoo-inc.com; peter@netplex.com.au
"All of this is for nothing if we don't go to the stars" - JMS/B5


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