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Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 13:29:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@transmeta.com>
To: Jeff Garzik <jgarzik@mandrakesoft.com>
cc: Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>, "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@transmeta.com>,
        Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
        <viro@math.psu.edu>
Subject: Re: LANANA: To Pending Device Number Registrants
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On Mon, 14 May 2001, Jeff Garzik wrote:
>
> Note also that persistence of permissions and hardcoded in-kernel naming
> is a problem throughout proc...  It's not unique to in-driver
> filesystems.

Also note how a 32-bit (or 64-bit) dev_t does NOT make it any easier to
manage permissions or anything like that anyway. Look at the current mess
/dev is. Imagine it an order of magnitude worse.

Big device numbers are _not_ a solution. I will accept a 32-bit one, but
no more, and I will _not_ accept a "manage by hand" approach any more. The
time has long since come to say "No". Which I've done. If you can't make
it manage the thing automatically with a script, you won't get a hardcoded
major device number just because you're lazy.

End of discussion.

		Linus