[LinuxPPS] I'm still here! :)

[Hal V. Engel]

On Friday 09 January 2009 05:02:19 Udo van den Heuvel wrote:
> Rodolfo Giometti wrote:
snip
> > I think kernel inclusion is not close for two main reasons:
>
> Indeed.. :-(
> If we can do anything, besides testing: please let us know.

Getting back to this.  There are a number of us here who are programmers that 
could potentially help out.  In addition, some of the things requested by the 
kernels folks were documentation tasks that could be done by non-programmers. 
If Rodolfo could break the work that needs to be done into a list of tasks 
(along with some specs) perhaps some of us could pitch in and help.

For example, the items that are on the kernel list of changes needed might be 
broken down to the following tasks:

A.

> > linuxpps-core-support.patch
> 
> looks generally good, but the comments should get a little loving.
> Please remove the stupid filenames that always get out of sync in
> the top of file comments, and make the documentation of exported
> symbols kernel-doc instead of it's weird own format.
> 
> Does checkpatch.pl still not catch these things?

1. Rewrite the in-line documentation to the kernel standards.  Make sure these 
are not flagged in anyway by checkpatch.pl.  Doc change - possible non-
programmer task.

> 
> Also the ioctl certainly should be an unlocked_ioctl and not the
> old BKL-locked variant. The !uarg checks in the ioctls can go,
> copy_to/from_users does this automatically.

2. Clean up ioctl code to not use depreciated constructs and eliminate 
redundant code.

> 
> pps.h shoulkd be split into one header only defining the
> kernel<->userspace ABI, and a kernel-internal one.  That way
> also the conditional includes can go away.

3. Divide pps.h into two header files. One for userspace ABI and one for 
kernel only  interfaces.

4. Remove conditional includes from the pps.h derivatives.

B.

>> pps-documentation-programs-and-examples.patch
> 
> Once again 

Once again?  

> this stuff is in and (sic) utterly wrong place where it can't
> easily be package for distros.  

But he is correct about it being in the wrong place to be packaged by distros. 
This is something we have talked about before on the list.  I should add that 
I am surprised that it was this late in the game before anyone on the kernel 
team mentioned this issue since it is so apparent.

> ppsfind belongs into util-linux and
> needs a proper mangage, ppsldisc is not nessecary but ldattach in
> util-linux needs to grow support for N_PPS instead, and ppstest
> should probably go into util-linux in a more polished version, too.
 
1. Move ppstest and ppsfind to util-linux-ng.

2. Move ppsldisc functionality to ldattach in util-linux-ng.

3. Write manpage for ppsfind.  Documentation - possible non-programmer task.

4. Write manpage for ppstest.  Documentation - possible non-programmer task.

5. Modify the manpage for ldattach to reflect PPS functionality.  
Documentation - possible non-programmer task.

6. Polish ppstest. 

7. This is not listed anywhere by the kernel folks but there should probably 
also be a PPS manpage written.   Documentation - possible non-programmer task.

C.

> > pps-userland-header-file-for-pps-api.patch
> 
> This one is utterly wrong.  It provides what should be a userspace
> library as inlines in a kernel header. 
> 
> Please do a proper libpps library package.

Not sure what tasks this would need to be completed. 

Hal