Re: p = kmalloc(sizeof(*p), )

From: Jeff Garzik <jgarzik@pobox.com>
To: Russell King <rmk+lkml@arm.linux.org.uk>
Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@osdl.org>,
	Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
	penberg@cs.Helsinki.FI, viro@ftp.linux.org.uk,
	linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, torvalds@osdl.org
Subject: Re: p = kmalloc(sizeof(*p), )
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 14:41:45 -0400	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <433057E9.5060905@pobox.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20050920181144.GD493@flint.arm.linux.org.uk>

Russell King wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 20, 2005 at 10:59:39AM -0700, Andrew Morton wrote:
> 
>>>"I want to grep for
>>>initialisations" is pretty pointless because a) it won't catch everything
>>>anyway and b) most structures are allocated and initialised at a single
>>>place and many of those which aren't should probably be converted to do
>>>that anyway.
>>>
>>>The broader point is that you're trying to optimise for the wrong thing. 
>>>We should optimise for those who read code, not for those who write it.
>>>
>>
>>If you look back, your five reasons tend to address modifiability, not
>>readability.
> 
> 
> So what you're saying is that we should optimise the code so that
> we make mistakes when we modify it.  Umm, yes, of course.
> 
> This is a contentious issue, and I don't think anyone should be
> stipulating which way is the right way - which is exactly what
> has been done by placing it in Coding Style.  Remember, we have
> kernel janitors who _will_ change code to match that.

Precisely.  Since there is enough disagreement, it lacks consensus to be 
in CodingStyle.

	Jeff