Killing Giant for 13

[Rodney W. Grimes]

> I'd like to kill Giant in 13 and schedule a firm removal date.
> 
> The issues are (a) old drivers that aren't MP safe (b) some console / ATKBD
> interactions (c) newbus and (d) a few stays that haven't been characterized.
> 
> (a) should be deleted or updated before the deadline
> (b) should be fixed by $SOMEONE[tm]
> (c) there's some work underway to refine the locking protocols to allow one
> to not have Giant held (there's real questions about how effective it is
> when things sleep or contend)
> (d) I'm researching.
> 
> Would there be support for setting a firm deadline for Giant removal of
> around June 2020? This would be months ahead of a speculative 13.0 timeline
> (Earliest would  be December 2020, latest would be maybe October 2021, the
> exact details aren't super relevant for a June target date).
> 
> This is a preliminary inquiry to get a feel for support for this option and
> to gather additional issues and requirements. Comments?

I see one reply to this, yet am seeing commits killing drivers, that
at least on surface appear to be not so old, and possibly relevant.

Though I have no objectionion to the removal of GIANT, I do have objection
to what appears to be execuction before research and discussion, especially
as I believe the item would of be under (d) above, as I do not consider
a driver that came into the tree at 10.0 "OLD".

-- 
Rod Grimes                                                 rgrimes at freebsd.org