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Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.misc:3042 comp.os.linux.misc:21158 Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.linux.misc Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!msuinfo!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!csn!boulder.parcplace.com!imp From: imp@boulder.parcplace.com (Warner Losh) Subject: Re: source of TCP/IP (was I hope this wont ignite a major flame ...) Message-ID: <Cu2oow.JHn@boulder.parcplace.com> Sender: news@boulder.parcplace.com Organization: ParcPlace Boulder References: <31od8d$15l@fw.novatel.ca> <31pc9l$ctp@oscar.agcs.com> <Cu0L6w.Ms1@calcite.rhyolite.com> Date: Fri, 5 Aug 1994 17:31:42 GMT Lines: 31 In article <Cu0L6w.Ms1@calcite.rhyolite.com> vjs@calcite.rhyolite.com (Vernon Schryver) writes: >If you had any significant professional experience, you'd know that is >"horse pucky." In real life, you often, probably usually do not have >the manual when you need to make a fix. You usually must write drivers >based on the wrong manual and sometimes no manual at all. (Spare me >your claims of professional competance. I've earning my living at this >for more than 25 years.) I'm not one of those who think that all hex >numbers need #define's; a value that's used only once need only be >commented. There's a big difference between code that humans can read, and code that requires mutants to read. The code that Vernon quoted is an example of code that mutants read. They may be very good mutants and can make anything work, but many people hate that kind of code. I don't have the 25 years that Vernon has (I have only 5 years out of school, and 10 more before that), but it is completely unreasonable to expect people to have the hardware manual to read a device driver, or whatever piece of code you have handy. What if I wanted to port the driver to FreeBSD or MS-DOS or Impix? I'd have to get my hands on the hardware manual to tell those places that used hex numbers that are specific to Linux and those that are specific to the card. Linux does a great job at what it does, but some parts of it are icky to look at. Kinda like the plumbing in my house. Warner -- Warner Losh imp@boulder.parcplace.COM ParcPlace Boulder "... but I can't promote you to "Prima Donna" unless you demonstrate a few more serious personality disorders"