DRM Updates Submitted For Linux 4.11, Torvalds Explodes Over Code Quality

Written by Michael Larabel in Linux Kernel on 23 February 2017 at 09:10 PM EST. 51 Comments
LINUX KERNEL
David Airlie submitted the main DRM driver updates for the Linux 4.11 kernel, but Linus Torvalds isn't happy about the code quality of a new addition and is considering not accepting the DRM changes for this next kernel release.

Among the Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) driver highlights for Linux 4.11 include:

- Intel's driver enabling Frame-Buffer Compression by default for Skylake hardware and newer.

- Intel's driver also now supports DisplayPort Multi-Stream Transport audio (DP MST) audio.

- Lastly for major Intel driver changes is initial Intel Geminilake support.

- The Radeon/AMDGPU code has continued power management work and some work on TTM memory management and other random fixes. For at least my Radeon RX 470, it's causing some performance improvements.

- There were some Nouveau changes were queuing up and they include NVIDIA's Secure Boot code refactoring, the Falcon library introduction, and other changes.

- The Etnaviv DRM driver has a shader performance fix and other improvements.

- Various changes to the smaller (mostly ARM-focused) DRM drivers.

- TinyDRM.

The DRM pull request with a complete list of highlights can be found via this pull request. The TinyDRM code though has caused Linus Torvalds to issue a rather colorful message about the code quality of this freshly-merged code for helping create smaller DRM drivers.

Torvalds wrote in part, "The tinydrm code seems like absolute pure shit that has never seen a compiler. I'm upset, because I expect better quality control. In fact, I expect *some* qualitty control, and this piece-of-shit driver has clearly seen none at all. And those patches were apparently committed yesterday. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?...How the hell did this get to the point where crap like this is even sent to me? Nobody tested *anything*? AND WHY THE HELL WAS THIS UTTER SHITE SENT TO ME IF IT WAS COMMITTED YESTERDAY?"

But matters got worse and he already responded to himself with another message and is threatening not to accept any DRM changes this merge window. "Christ. I dislike this pull request intensely, and I haven't even gotten to the point where I can even _test_ it yet. I'm very close to just saying "this is complete bullshit" and not pull any DRM crap this merge window. Honestly, if I find anything else, that's what I'll do. I might do it even without finding anything elze. And _reghardless_ of what happens this merge window, I will instate a hard rule that the DRM code needs to be in linux-next *before* the merge window opens. No last-minute crap. No shit that hasn't even been build-tested. Because I am _never_ going to accept this kind of crap in the future."

Update: Linus Ends Up Accepting The DRM Changes For Linux 4.11
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