cvs commit: src/sys/alpha/alpha mem.c src/sys/alpha/conf GENERIC src/sys/alpha/include memdev.h src/sys/amd64/amd64 io.c mem.c src/sys/amd64/conf GENERIC NOTES src/sys/amd64/include iodev.h memdev.h src/sys/conf NOTES files files.alpha files.amd64 ...

[John Baldwin]

On Monday 02 August 2004 05:55 pm, Tom Rhodes wrote:
> On Mon, 2 Aug 2004 16:00:00 -0400
>
> John Baldwin <jhb at FreeBSD.org> wrote:
> > On Sunday 01 August 2004 07:40 am, Mark Murray wrote:
> > > markm       2004-08-01 11:40:54 UTC
> > >
> > >   FreeBSD src repository
> > >
> > >   Modified files:
> > >     sys/alpha/alpha      mem.c
> > >     sys/alpha/conf       GENERIC
> > >     sys/amd64/amd64      mem.c
> > >     sys/amd64/conf       GENERIC NOTES
> > >     sys/conf             NOTES files files.alpha files.amd64
> > >                          files.i386 files.ia64 files.pc98
> > >                          files.sparc64
> > > [ ... ]
> >
> > Why in the world are /dev/null and /dev/zero optional?  /dev/[k]mem
> > and /dev/io I can accept for those with uber-high security paranoia, but
> > I can't think of any good reason to have a kernel without /dev/null and
> > /dev/zero.  To me it seems that this creates way more foot shooting
> > potential than benefit.  It's one thing to have device drivers for
> > hardware that may or may not be present optional, but /dev/null and
> > /dev/zero do not fall into that case.
>
> Foot shooting potential?  Please, we have other "KEEP THIS" listed
> for COMPAT_43, why not the same here?  Like:
>
> device null KEEP THIS!
> device zero KEEP THIS TOO!

How about not having optional things being optional?  Mark pointed out npx as 
an example in a side conversation and for what its worth, device npx should 
just be made standard (i.e. required) on i386 as it is on amd64 rather than 
be a foot-shooting implement.  The reason for it having a device line at all 
probably goes back to the older configuration mechanism of <= 4.x where a 
device had to have a line to show up as an actual device rather than being 
instantiated by hints or driver identify routines.

-- 
John Baldwin <jhb at FreeBSD.org>  <><  http://www.FreeBSD.org/~jhb/
"Power Users Use the Power to Serve"  =  http://www.FreeBSD.org