Re: [Madwifi-devel] ANNOUNCE: SFLC helps developers assess ar5k(enabling free Atheros HAL)

From: Pavel Roskin
Date: Wed Nov 15 2006 - 14:39:33 EST


Hello!

On Wed, 2006-11-15 at 14:21 -0500, John W. Linville wrote:
> On Wed, Nov 15, 2006 at 07:42:14PM +0100, Michael Buesch wrote:
>
> > Now that it seems to be ok to use these openbsd sources, should I port
> > them to my driver framework?
> > I looked over the ar5k code and, well, I don't like it. ;)
> > I don't really like having a HAL. I'd rather prefer a "real" driver
> > without that HAL obfuscation.
>
> I don't think anyone likes the HAL-based architecture. I don't think
> we will accept a HAL-based driver into the upstream kernel.

I said it before, and it's worth repeating. Dissolving HAL in the
sources is easy. It's just a matter of moving functions around without
serious chances of breaking anything as long as the source compiles.
The whole "HAL-based architecture" can be reshuffled and eliminated by
one person in a few days.

Making things work properly takes years. That's what MadWifi has been
working on for a long time, using contributions and bug reports from
scores of users and developers.

Rejecting MadWifi because it's HAL based is like throwing away a diamond
ring because it's too narrow.

--
Regards,
Pavel Roskin


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