• Luis R. Rodriguez's avatar
    Documentation: extend use case for EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL() · 582ed8d5
    Luis R. Rodriguez authored
    Current documentation over use case for EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL()
    only acknowledges functions which are "an internal implementation
    issue, and not really an interface". In practice these days
    though we have some maintainers taking on preferences to require
    all new functionality go in with EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL().
    
    A maintainer asking developers to use EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL()
    for new functionality tends to be a well accepted and understood
    position that maintainers can take and typically requires the
    maintainers educating contributing developers on their own
    positions and requirements.
    
    Developers who submit code to maintainers not familiar with
    these preferences as optional for new functionality need explicit
    guidence though as existing documentation does not acknowledge
    this as a valid possibility. Without this being documented some
    maintainers are reluctant to accept new functionality with
    EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL().
    
    This extends the use case documentation for EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL()
    to acknowledge acceptance for new functionality.
    Signed-off-by: default avatarLuis R. Rodriguez <mcgrof@suse.com>
    [jc: wording tweaked with permission]
    Signed-off-by: default avatarJonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
    582ed8d5
kernel-hacking.tmpl 42.1 KB