Jani Nikula <jani.nikula@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes: > On Tue, 21 Nov 2023, Breno Leitao <leitao@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: >> This is a simple script that parses the Netlink YAML spec files >> (Documentation/netlink/specs/), and generates RST files to be rendered >> in the Network -> Netlink Specification documentation page. > > First of all, my boilerplate complaint: All extra processing for Sphinx > should really be done using Sphinx extensions instead of adding Makefile > hacks. I don't think it's sustainable to keep adding this stuff. We > chose Sphinx because it is extensible, and to avoid the Rube Goldberg > machine that the previous documentation build system was. So I feel like we've (me included) have kind of sent Breno around in circles on this one. This *was* implemented as an extension once: https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20231103135622.250314-1-leitao@xxxxxxxxxx/ At that time it seemed too complex, and I thought that an external script would lead to a simpler implementation overall. Perhaps I was wrong. I worry that a proliferation of extensions adds its own sort of complexity and hazards - look at the things Vegard has fixed recently, for example. Relatively few people can work in that environment, and extensions can make our version-support troubles worse. So I'm not fully sold on the idea that everything should be an extension, especially if it can be expressed as a simple dependency and build step in the makefile. Some of the uglier makefile stuff we have is a different story... Anyway, I apologize for my role in making this particular addition harder than it needed to be. Perhaps, for the future, we should put together and agree on a document (of all things) on how we think this sort of functionality should be added. Thanks, jon
