summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/Documentation/process
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorLinus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>2020-08-04 13:49:43 -0700
committerLinus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>2020-08-04 13:49:43 -0700
commit99ea1521a097db51f0f04f54cfbd3b0ed119d2f1 (patch)
treea89402c9c9cef2feecfc67144e3102240094095a /Documentation/process
parent427714f258a3783b15e33d6daa34d57824f28bab (diff)
parent63a0895d960aa3d3653ef0ecad5bd8579388f14b (diff)
downloadlinux-99ea1521a097db51f0f04f54cfbd3b0ed119d2f1.tar.gz
linux-99ea1521a097db51f0f04f54cfbd3b0ed119d2f1.tar.bz2
linux-99ea1521a097db51f0f04f54cfbd3b0ed119d2f1.zip
Merge tag 'uninit-macro-v5.9-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/kees/linux
Pull uninitialized_var() macro removal from Kees Cook: "This is long overdue, and has hidden too many bugs over the years. The series has several "by hand" fixes, and then a trivial treewide replacement. - Clean up non-trivial uses of uninitialized_var() - Update documentation and checkpatch for uninitialized_var() removal - Treewide removal of uninitialized_var()" * tag 'uninit-macro-v5.9-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/kees/linux: compiler: Remove uninitialized_var() macro treewide: Remove uninitialized_var() usage checkpatch: Remove awareness of uninitialized_var() macro mm/debug_vm_pgtable: Remove uninitialized_var() usage f2fs: Eliminate usage of uninitialized_var() macro media: sur40: Remove uninitialized_var() usage KVM: PPC: Book3S PR: Remove uninitialized_var() usage clk: spear: Remove uninitialized_var() usage clk: st: Remove uninitialized_var() usage spi: davinci: Remove uninitialized_var() usage ide: Remove uninitialized_var() usage rtlwifi: rtl8192cu: Remove uninitialized_var() usage b43: Remove uninitialized_var() usage drbd: Remove uninitialized_var() usage x86/mm/numa: Remove uninitialized_var() usage docs: deprecated.rst: Add uninitialized_var()
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/process')
-rw-r--r--Documentation/process/deprecated.rst18
1 files changed, 18 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/process/deprecated.rst b/Documentation/process/deprecated.rst
index 652e2aa02a66..943a926ecbbb 100644
--- a/Documentation/process/deprecated.rst
+++ b/Documentation/process/deprecated.rst
@@ -51,6 +51,24 @@ to make sure their systems do not continue running in the face of
"unreachable" conditions. (For example, see commits like `this one
<https://git.kernel.org/linus/d4689846881d160a4d12a514e991a740bcb5d65a>`_.)
+uninitialized_var()
+-------------------
+For any compiler warnings about uninitialized variables, just add
+an initializer. Using the uninitialized_var() macro (or similar
+warning-silencing tricks) is dangerous as it papers over `real bugs
+<https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20200603174714.192027-1-glider@google.com/>`_
+(or can in the future), and suppresses unrelated compiler warnings
+(e.g. "unused variable"). If the compiler thinks it is uninitialized,
+either simply initialize the variable or make compiler changes. Keep in
+mind that in most cases, if an initialization is obviously redundant,
+the compiler's dead-store elimination pass will make sure there are no
+needless variable writes.
+
+As Linus has said, this macro
+`must <https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFw+Vbj0i=1TGqCR5vQkCzWJ0QxK6CernOU6eedsudAixw@mail.gmail.com/>`_
+`be <https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFwgbgqhbp1fkxvRKEpzyR5J8n1vKT1VZdz9knmPuXhOeg@mail.gmail.com/>`_
+`removed <https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFz2500WfbKXAx8s67wrm9=yVJu65TpLgN_ybYNv0VEOKA@mail.gmail.com/>`_.
+
open-coded arithmetic in allocator arguments
--------------------------------------------
Dynamic size calculations (especially multiplication) should not be