On Sun, 2019-10-06 at 09:10 -0600, Jens Axboe wrote: > On 10/6/19 1:31 AM, Mischa Baars wrote: > > Hi Jens, > > > > On Sat, 2019-10-05 at 09:50 -0600, Jens Axboe wrote: > > > On 10/5/19 4:12 AM, Mischa Baars wrote: > > > > Advised by the linux-next mailing list to repost this message on the linux-block mailing list: > > > > > > > > Hi, > > > > > > > > If I'm correct, packet writing support is going to be removed from the > > > > Linux kernel. Is there any particular reason for > > > > this, as far as you people know? Both DVD-writers and Blueray-writers are > > > > still being sold to date. > > > > > > The reasons are mostly that it's ancient technology and my doubt was > > > that nobody used it, and it's completely unmaintained code as well. > > > > > > > How can it be ancient technology when CD-, DVD- and Blueray-writers > > are being sold by the thousands at this very moment? Floppy disk > > drives on the other hand were invented in 1967. This is the ancient > > technology you're looking for. > > It's a suboptimal solution to the fact that devices were put to market > that required > page sized writes at the time. Hence pktcdvd sits in > between and ensures that we write out blocks that are big enough. If the > kernel supported > page size block sizes on file systems, pktdvd would > be superflous. > > And please stops bringing up floppy, it's totally irrelevant to this > conversation. > > > > > I'm currently working on quite a large project. I would be dependent > > > > solely on USB to store my backup files, when the packet writing support > > > > is removed. Actually I'm quite uncomfortable with that idea, because > > > > USB is rewritable. Any serious attempt to do damage to my project will > > > > result a permanent loss of code. Personally I would do anything to keep > > > > packet writing support in the kernel. > > > > > > If there are folks using the code (successfully), it's not going away. > > > But I can't quite tell from your email if you're just planning to use > > > it, or if you are using it already and it's working great for you? > > > > > > > Yes, I've written the the code myself, thank you. It's prototype > > hardware and it's not intended as an open source software project. It > > is therefore not going to be released to the general public. When it's > > finished, and it isn't at the moment, it's hopefully going to be part > > of your future processors. > > Let's keep this very simple: > > 1) Have you used the pktcdvd code at all? How much? Where are talking about the kernel/drivers/block/pktcdvd.ko.xz module. I have not used it directly, as it is a kernel module. Instead I have been working with K3b, the KDE cdwriting software package. Quite a lot actually, let's say I have written about 11 * 25 cd's / dvd's in total. Without any problems. They are all still readable too, even after all this time (about ten years). > 2) If yes to the first question, has it been stable? Very stable if you ask me. Flawless even. > > I did however find a enormous lot of bugs (in the kernel, the > > compiler, and in latex) since the project start, that deserve the > > attention of the opensource community. The bugs will come available to > > you in time. We can work on a better kernel and compiler together. > > So bugs in pktcdvd? Or others parts? No, no bugs in pktcdvd. No fixing to do whatsoever. > > > > I'd hoped you could remove normal floppy disc support instead. That > > > > seems the more logical course of action. Floppy disc drives aren't > > > > being sold anymore for quite some years now. > > > > > > It's not really a case of quid pro quo, if someone gets removed, > > > something else can stay. I'd argue that the floppy driver is probably > > > used by orders of magnitude more people than the packet writing code, > > > and as such that makes it much more important to maintain. > > > > > > > Who are you talking about? Are you asking to be removed? I'm afraid I > > don't quite understand. > > I'm saying that you are comparing apples to oranges. The floppy driver > might be older tech, but it's much more used than pktcdvd. It's not the > case that we must pick one over the other, in terms of what stays and > what goes. > Yes we are, sort of. You can even have my pear. That's exactly the problem with your story :) A DVD is 4Gb and Blueray goes all the way up to 100Gb, while a floppy disc is 1.44Mb. Who would want to write his backup files to 1.44Mb floppy disc these days? Regards, Mischa.
