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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the actual code itself is stable, just that the compiled kernel API/ABI isn't. So if you open source your drivers a

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the actual code itself is stable, just that the compiled kernel API/ABI isn't. So if you open source your drivers and get them accepted into the kernel, then you don't need to rewrite/recompile them for each new kernel version. Just like AMD did with their drivers. And I think this is part a conscious decision that forces people to open source drivers. But this is honestly just guesswork based on what I've read, would love to learn more!

afiori 2y ago
> So if you open source your drivers and get them accepted into the kernel, then you don't need to rewrite[...] them for each new kernel version. You don't, but someone does. In the note linked above they give an example of how the USB interface changed from synchronous to asynchronous, this must have required some refactoring in all drivers that used USB
- vetinari 2y ago
  That someone updating the drivers is exactly the same person who makes the change in the subsystem that they depend on. They cannot break what is already in the kernel, but they can break what's outside; it is after all an internal API.
  - codedokode 2y ago
    And that is wrong because people might have reason not to mainline drivers.
    - vetinari 2y ago
      That's fine; but their reason is their problem. They are not entitled to free labor of other people.
    - pantalaimon 2y ago
      What reasons are there other that corporate shenanigans? Sure it takes more effort to mainline the driver and address review comments, but if you aren't designing a throw-away product, it's effort well spent.
    - account42 2y ago
      Those reasons tend to be petty ones that benefit the hardware company and noone else. Seems fair that the hardware company should pay for the consequences of their decisions and not the people advancing the kernel.
Propelloni 2y ago
The Linux developer community promised almost 20 years ago [1] that no release of the stable kernel will ever break something that worked in a stable kernel before. AFAICT, this promise holds. If you upstream your driver, the community will take care (cf. AMD), if you don't your users experience occasional pain (cf. NVidia). [1] http://kroah.com/log/blog/2018/02/05/linux-kernel-release-model/ http://kroah.com/log/blog/2018/02/05/linux-kernel-release-mo...

afiori 2y ago

> So if you open source your drivers and get them accepted into the kernel, then you don't need to rewrite[...] them for each new kernel version. You don't, but someone does. In the note linked above they give an example of how the USB interface changed from synchronous to asynchronous, this must have required some refactoring in all drivers that used USB

vetinari 2y ago
That someone updating the drivers is exactly the same person who makes the change in the subsystem that they depend on. They cannot break what is already in the kernel, but they can break what's outside; it is after all an internal API.
- codedokode 2y ago
  And that is wrong because people might have reason not to mainline drivers.
  - vetinari 2y ago
    That's fine; but their reason is their problem. They are not entitled to free labor of other people.
  - pantalaimon 2y ago
    What reasons are there other that corporate shenanigans? Sure it takes more effort to mainline the driver and address review comments, but if you aren't designing a throw-away product, it's effort well spent.
  - account42 2y ago
    Those reasons tend to be petty ones that benefit the hardware company and noone else. Seems fair that the hardware company should pay for the consequences of their decisions and not the people advancing the kernel.

Propelloni 2y ago

The Linux developer community promised almost 20 years ago [1] that no release of the stable kernel will ever break something that worked in a stable kernel before. AFAICT, this promise holds. If you upstream your driver, the community will take care (cf. AMD), if you don't your users experience occasional pain (cf. NVidia). [1] http://kroah.com/log/blog/2018/02/05/linux-kernel-release-model/ http://kroah.com/log/blog/2018/02/05/linux-kernel-release-mo...