Una función del kernel que está creando problemas con gráficos y GPU de computadoras ha hecho que se haga una petición para que el kernel de Linux 3.2 sea retirado. Su padre y creador ha rechazado la petición.
La función kexec es la manzana de la discordia en este asunto.
Kexec es lo que permite una virtual alternativa al dual-boot. Permite una versión del kernel de Linux ser activada y corrida directamente desde otro sin necesidad de apagar completamente una computadora, en otras palabras, sin tener que ver el BIOS y por ende, tener activado otra distribución de Linux activa.
Torvalds argumento que es tarde para hacer un retiro de una versión del Kernel, solo para enfocarse en algo que el considera innecesario y que esos tipos de problemas, quienes realmente deben preocuparse son los desarrolladores de distribución de Linux y no su equipo.
Quite frankly, I think it’s too late for something like a kexec bugfix. Nobody cares. So kexec doesn’t work – that’s not something new. This doesn’t smell like a regression to me. And the kcalloc things you mention *sound* like some kind of cleanup crap.
The DRM layer has been fairly good for a few releases, but I’m getting the feeling that I need to start pushing back, because I’m getting stuff that I don’t think matters, and shouldn’t be sent to me after -rc4.
So I’m not pulling this.
What the heck is up?
By now, I want fixes that either fix real regressions that people *care* about, or that help new unreleased hardware that people *will* care about and that cannot possibly mess up old users.
kexec? Who the f*ck cares? Really?
Linus
El problema era que la falta de un buen manejo de kexec, provocaba errores en el área de GPU con ciertas tarjetas de video entre ellas Ironlake y Radeon.
Luego, Torvalds responde con este comunicado luego de chatear con el autor de la petición:
So having looked at the patch itself, I don’t dislike the notion of making sure certain fields are nicely initialized. So I don’t hate the patch itself, but quite frankly, to me it doesn’t smell even *remotely* like “regression fix”. I don’t think this is something that has ever worked.
And I do realize that some enterprise distros want to use kexec, but at the same time I say “that’s *their* problem”. We know kexec hasn’t been horribly reliable, anybody who uses it should have be taking that into account.
I hope kexec gets more reliable, but I *also* really hope that our RC series will calm down, and on the whole, weighing the two concerns, when we’re talking about something that has never worked before either, I think the thing is pretty clear.
That said, if there is some other real use-case (“this fixes problems with the BIOS from Xyz initializing things to random crap”), I’d have no real objections to the patch itself.
So my complaint is really a “I want to be more anal about the later -rc patches, I feel we’re slipping”, not a “I hate the patch per se”.
Linus
En realidad si sabes hacer dual-boot, no es un asunto de dar mucha cabeza, pero Torvalds es conocido por dar su punto claro, en especial cuando se trata de Linux.
