regular ABI vs modversions

Posted Feb 8, 2003 1:08 UTC (Sat) by mmarq (guest, #2332)
In reply to: regular ABI vs modversions by giraffedata
Parent article: The return of modversions

Without wanting to quote any part we can assume that you thing that some kind of well documented "compatibility" interface is not only possible but also very desirable!...

Also, i belive that you can agree with me that, this some how burocratic big work mean that you have to restrict a bit how the kernel is developed!... "that is why Linux is not like a commercial software product"... you can go absolutely wild with the changes implemented!!!...

BUT IN THE END THERE IS POSSIBLY NO ALTERNATIVE TO THIS TRADEOFF OF SOME DEVELOPING RESTRICTIONS FOR STANDARDS

Even that stubborn maniac "big" person, RMS(someone who we have many things to thank for:- [now i'm gonna be flamed to smoke])have learned by now that there is no effective way to control the "hardware industry"...is like playing chicken with high speed vehicles, and the hardware industry due to various reasons including its nature, has no way for turning!...

The danger for Linux due to his wilderness, is of running almost everywhere now, to running almost nowhere in some distant forseenable future... it adapts and overcome or it dies... it is clear that the MS Palladium project is "whoped" to function like one big of many among others of hardware platform lock up attempts.

Cutting on the politics, and to tell you the true, my original idea was that "most if not all" of hardware drivers in linux kernel could adopt some form of I2O model, that is already in kernel(no need for brand new design at all), but without the need for special hardware,...and most likely also without the need for loadable kernel modules for the actual "low level in kernel space" hardware driver.

The I2O model that is somehow well documented, is "independent" of hardware platform and OS implementation, and is the most advanced driver model that i ever saw in a technical paper, and in such a way, that the same driver could be used in LINUX, AIX, AS390, SOLARIS, HP-UX, (you name it), only need a recompile!!!

NO WONDER that microsoft and Intel wore among the original prime backers, that suddenely drop it in the deep ocean!...the much cheaper WINTEL model was about to conquer the world!!!

IMHO that with a I2O model, a corporation like IBM can have a high degree of sucess in the integration parts (Mobos, Graphics and Network adapters,.. etc), even wihtout a x86 compatible platform (use Linux anyway)...and wihtout the need to sell it's Hard Disk division,...as it seems!!!