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Subject: Re: cvs commit:  src/share/man/man9 devfs_add_devswf.9 Makefile devfs_link.9 devfs_add_devsw.9
To: bde@zeta.org.au (Bruce Evans)
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 1996 12:04:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: "JULIAN Elischer" <julian@ref.tfs.com>
Cc: CVS-committers@freefall.freebsd.org, cvs-all@freefall.freebsd.org,
        cvs-share@freefall.freebsd.org, scrappy@freefall.freebsd.org
In-Reply-To: <199604021252.WAA15288@godzilla.zeta.org.au> from "Bruce Evans" at Apr 2, 96 10:52:03 pm
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> 
> Joerg must want to kill section 9 to choose the devfs functions for
> documenting first :-).  devfs is under active development and its
> external interface was inconvenient and wrong so it was certain to
> change.  Now it is wrong and is certain to change :-).
> 
> The next step is to finish the changes so that the code matches the man
> pages.  devfs_link() is misdeclared in devfsext.h.  Stuff involving the
> link function has been broken for several days because of the confusing
> names (dev_link vs dev_linkf vs devfs_link).
> 
> Future interface changes should include:
> - nuke devfs_add_devsw and rename devfs_add_devswf to devfs_add_devsw
> - rename devfs_add_devsw to something shorter
:)
actually there is a reason for this....
devfs.. because it is a devfs function
add.... because is it is adding
devsw.. because there is another method of adding a device which DOESN'T
HAVE A DEVSW entry, but rather uses the vnode methods directly...
 the f is of course simply for 'formatting'.

> - nuke the uid, gid and permissions args to devfs_add_devsw.  Drivers
>   shouldn't decide policy.
I disagree, the do know good defaults. I think that a method needs to be added
to 'tailor' these thongs but I think these should set good defaults.

> - declare the string args as const.
> - perhaps drop support for links, at least at the driver level.  Linked
>   devices in /dev are undesirable because programs can't tell which
>   ones were opened and this is sometimes important (e.g. for terminal
>   names).  OTOH, unlinked nodes for the same devices are even less
>   desirable because they break first-open/last-close semantics. 
Linked devices is an important part of the strategy of eventually getting
rid (hopefully) of aliased vnodes.

> 	The
>   duplication of the node for /dev/stdin in /dev/fd/0 in MAKEDEV is a
>   bug.  It seems reasonable to at least push the creation of the links
>   outside of the driver and not depend on them by default.  devfs_link()
>   is currently only used for disks and tapes.
I still think that a device may know enough to create a link

> 
> Bruce
>