[linux-dvb] Re: backwards compatability -was- actual cvs broken?

[Michael Krufky]

Edgar Toernig wrote:

>Philip Prindeville wrote:
>  
>
>>Hmmm...   I personally have little use for the video functionality
>>that a lot of DVB cards come with...
>>    
>>
>>Who actually uses the video capture logic?
>>    
>>
>I do.  In fact, I've bought the card only because it has an additional
>(S-)Video-In connector for my game console (or vhs-recorder).
>
>>I've always wondered...   On a multi-function card, does the driver
>>have to handle all aspects of that functionality?  Or can you have
>>separate, stand-alone drivers that each handle one type of
>>functionality, without them having to be aware of each other
>>or interact with each other?
>>    
>>
>Speaking about the BT878 based cards, the connection is already
>pretty loose.  The BT878 has two functional blocks - video capture
>and audio capture which show up as two different PCI devices.
>The bttv driver handles the video capture part and works fine
>without the dvb-driver.  The DVB "receiver" is connected to the
>audio part.  Unfortunately, the DVB receiver usually needs the I2C
>bus and some GPIO pins which are both part of the "video"-function
>of the BT878.  So the DVB driver has to contact the bttv driver
>whenever it wants access to these pins.
>
>It should be possible to create a dummy bttv driver that only
>supplies GPIO and I2C access.  This dummy driver could even be
>part of the dvb-bt878 driver.  (I may be wrong but wasn't the
>first version of the dvb-bt878 driver like that?)  But you
>have to find someone who's willing spends some hours of work
>to do that :-)  I wouldn't - it's unsatisfying to invest a
>lot of work just to "remove" functionality.
>  
>
Sure it's possible, but please, don't.  This would be moving backwards.  
Why write out a driver that isnt going to go away?

It's ONE kernel.  One kernel, with subsystems, that are all part of the 
same ONE KERNEL.

-Mike