On 15/12/06, Clay Renko <renkoc@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi ppl, I'm working on a linux driver for a hardware company. I want eventually to submit the driver to LKML so it will get accepted to the main tree, but I have a dilemma about it. Let's say my driver is accepted to the main tree kernel. Now If some future API change will break the driver's code, who will update the code ?
That is usually considered the responsability of whomever changes the API.
How is it done these days in the kernel world ? if an API change is breaking current drivers code who maintain the broken drivers ?
If you make an API change that breaks things you must also fix up the breakage.
and what if the original author cannot be contacted ? do kernel developers update the necessasy changes or just remove the driver from the tree ?
If a maintainer disappears often someone else will step up to maintain the code. Even if noone takes over maintaining it it will usually only be removed when it has bitrotted enough to no longer be functional - working drivers, even without maintainers, are usually not removed. -- Jesper Juhl <jesper.juhl@xxxxxxxxx> Don't top-post http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/T/top-post.html Plain text mails only, please http://www.expita.com/nomime.html -- Kernelnewbies: Help each other learn about the Linux kernel. Archive: http://mail.nl.linux.org/kernelnewbies/ FAQ: http://kernelnewbies.org/faq/
