From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Sascha Hauer Subject: Re: [PATCH] Add new cs89x0 driver Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:03:19 +0200 Message-ID: <20090423070319.GN21747@pengutronix.de> References: <1240387172-21818-1-git-send-email-s.hauer@pengutronix.de> <20090422225328.GA14729@mail.wantstofly.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Cc: netdev@vger.kernel.org, Lennert Buytenhek , Ivo Clarysse , Gilles Chanteperdrix To: Lennert Buytenhek Return-path: Received: from fmmailgate01.web.de ([217.72.192.221]:48818 "EHLO fmmailgate01.web.de" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1750765AbZDWHDW (ORCPT ); Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:03:22 -0400 Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20090422225328.GA14729@mail.wantstofly.org> Sender: netdev-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: On Thu, Apr 23, 2009 at 12:53:28AM +0200, Lennert Buytenhek wrote: > On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 09:59:30AM +0200, Sascha Hauer wrote: > > > While this is a very old chip it is still in use on some embedded > > boards. I see myself unable to fix the in Kernel driver to bring > > it to driver model support, so this patch adds a new driver designed > > to replace the old one, at least for non-ISA hardware. > > I had the same thought initially when I started working on mv643xx_eth, > but I decided to try and beat the existing driver into shape anyway. The > mv643xx_eth driver now is not too different from how I would have written > it had I rewritten it from scratch, and refactoring it took about a > hundred commits and probably a bunch more effort than just rewriting it > would have taken, but in the end I probably _saved_ myself time by being > able to (have users) bisect problems instead of having to spend time > trying to figure out why driver A works but B doesn't or vice versa, not > having to chase people to switch their platforms over to the new driver, > etc. > > (I'm not saying that there's absolutely no other way for you to go than > to do the same thing -- it's just a thought.) I've gone that way with the fec.c driver recently, now I'm trying the other way ;) The problem with the cs89x0 driver is that it is an ISA driver. I think it will be hard to find testers owning an ISA card with a cs89x0 chip. (If you, dear reader, are one of those, please speak up) For the embedded users it's simple. There are some Freescale i.MX Board which I own myself or stay in contact with people who have one and some IXP boards. Sascha -- Pengutronix e.K. | | Industrial Linux Solutions | http://www.pengutronix.de/ | Peiner Str. 6-8, 31137 Hildesheim, Germany | Phone: +49-5121-206917-0 | Amtsgericht Hildesheim, HRA 2686 | Fax: +49-5121-206917-5555 |