Linux Virtualization - Jul 2014 - [PATCH 0/25] Replace DEFINE_PCI_DEVICE_TABLE macro use

On Fri, 2014-07-18 at 09:28 -0700, James Bottomley
wrote:
> On Fri, 2014-07-18 at 17:26 +0200, Benoit Taine wrote:
> > We should prefer `const struct pci_device_id` over
> > `DEFINE_PCI_DEVICE_TABLE` to meet kernel coding style guidelines.
> > This issue was reported by checkpatch.
> 
> What kernel coding style?  checkpatch isn't the arbiter of style, if
> that's the only problem.
> 
> The DEFINE_PCI macro was a well reasoned addition when it was added in
> 2008.  The problem was most people were getting the definition wrong.
> When we converted away from CONFIG_HOTPLUG, having this DEFINE_ meant
> that only one place needed changing instead of hundreds for PCI tables.
> 
> The reason people were getting the PCI table wrong was mostly the init
> section specifiers which are now gone, but it has enough underlying
> utility (mostly constification) that I don't think we'd want to
churn
> the kernel hugely to make a change to struct pci_table and then have to
> start detecting and fixing misuses.
> 
> James
> 
> 
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I would rather fix the misuses of the macro, than remove it. Could we
possibly make checkpatch smart enough to tell when the macro is misused?

Thanks,
Jake