Re: HEADSUP usb2 (usb4bsd) to become default in 2 weeks.

On Tue, 2008-12-23 at 17:23 +0100, Rink Springer wrote:
> Hi people,
> 
> On Mon, Dec 22, 2008 at 01:40:10PM -0800, Alfred Perlstein wrote:
> > We're going to usher in the New Year with a new usb stack.
> > 
> > Now is the time to test, test, test.
> > 
> > It is also the time to point out anything missing from usb2 that
> > is in usb1.
> > 
> > In two weeks, on Jan 3rd I will switch the GENERIC kernel to use
> > usb2.
> > 
> > The old usb code will remain in case there is any fallout.
> > 
> > Depending on how this trial goes we will hopefully move to the new
> > stack entirely within a few weeks after bug reports start dying
> > down.
> 
> For what it's worth, I think this is *way* too early to be even
> considering this; there is still massive fundamental work being
> performed on the new stack (which reminds me that I really should get
> back to my permission patches soonish), but that is not the only
> issue.
> 
> For example, is anyone looking forward to porting Weongyo Jeong's NDIS
> USB patches to USB2 and then having to figure out if breakage arises
> from his work, from the new USB2 stack from a combination of the two?
> It'd be best for all just to let that mature out in HEAD.
> 
> My suggestion is that we attempt to get the new USB2 stack in a shape
> where we believe we only need to fix bugs in it, and not fundamentally
> alter the design of it.
> 
> Truth to be told, as limited as the old stack is, it does its work for
> most people, so if we throw the switch to the new stack, we'd be
> advertising that we have a new, stable-enough-for-GENERIC USB2 stack.
> 
> I'd suggest that after the big changes are in, we wait at least a month
> or 2 before we start raising the question "USB2, are we there yet?"
> 
> Regards,
> 

Personally (just a lusers perspective), I think this should be in
CURRENT already, as the default. As I understand it (may be wrong), the
old stack has some reasonably serious issues that mean that inevitably
it will be replaced.

If it doesnt soon go in as the default stack, then people who wish to
work on USB related bits and pieces, like Weongyo Jeong's NDIS USB work,
will develop against the old, soon to be defunct stack. 

This will just lead to more hurdles to putting the new stack live, and
cause us to repeat even more work integrating work against the old stack
into the new.

Putting it as the default now may cause headaches for people who run
CURRENT, but require tested/reliable usb. Those people can use the
current usb stack. Everyone else deals with the headaches of a new
stack, we get a slew of PRs, and eventually it will become stable. After
all, isn't that the point of CURRENT?

Leaving it as is would surely increase the amount of time before it
becomes stable, which must surely increases the amount of additional
work that will be needed in reworks.

Having said that, if I had a 2000 line patch that now wont even come
close to applying, I'd be pretty mad too :)

Cheers

Tom