Linus Torvalds Injects Tabs To Thwart Kconfig Parsers Not Correctly Handling Them

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linus Torvalds Injects Tabs To Thwart Kconfig Parsers Not Correctly Handling Them

Within yesterday's Linux 6.9-rc4 release is an interesting little nugget by Linus Torvalds to battle Kconfig parsers that can't correctly handle tabs but rather just assume spaces for whitespace for this kernel configuration format...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-Kconfig-Tabs

[Vermilion]

Linus Torvalds can still get things done effectively for the Linux kernel without his once colorful language he was known for on the kernel mailing list.

I'll take you up on that. ChatGPT, translate this commit message to actual Linus style:

Subject: Regarding Commit d96c36004e31

So apparently, this commit thought it was a brilliant idea to strip away a tab because some third-rate kernel config parsing tool couldn't handle it. Seriously? We're bending over backward for these tools now?

Listen up, if your parsing tool throws a tantrum over a tab, it's time to rethink your life choices. Tabs are as fundamental to Kconfig files as oxygen is to humans. If you can't handle tabs, you have no business parsing kernel configurations.

And let's not pretend this is some isolated incident. The whole tab vs. space saga is like a bad sitcom rerun from the '70s. Sure, 'make' might have its quirks, but that doesn't mean we should stoop to that level of incompetence.

I'm tempted to flood our Kconfig files with tabs just to prove a point, but let's not make a mess where it's not needed. However, if this idiocy persists, don't be surprised if I start tabbing everything in sight.

Let's get our priorities straight, people. We're building a kernel here, not babysitting fragile parsing tools. So let's fix this mess and move on to more important things.

Yeah.. that's more like it.

[Kver]

Did he actually add tabs where they weren't before? If so, is this not the exact kind of thing Linus would throw a fit over if someone else had done it? He's gone on "We don't break userspace" rants over people making these sorts of changes before.

I mean, rejecting the change and saying "fix yer shit" is one thing, but deliberately breaking 3rd party software (no matter how 'correct' the reasons) seems apple-level hostile.

[panikal]

Did he actually add tabs where they weren't before? If so, is this not the exact kind of thing Linus would throw a fit over if someone else had done it? He's gone on "We don't break userspace" rants over people making these sorts of changes before.

https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux...e3496ddf7fd61e - yes, there's now tabs between the 'default' and numbers. It looks like 1 space in the browser. But its not.

This is not userspace he's breaking with a kernel abi/syscall/behavior change. Its a Kconfig file, and he's intentionally breaking kernel Kconfig parser that is wanting to change source material rather than its own parser to account for something that is *everywhere* and no other Kconfig parser has problems with.

Linus has always ruled by dictate on kernel style guides especially around indentation and tab size.

[bple2137]

I'll take you up on that. ChatGPT, translate this commit message to actual Linus style

Hilariously accurate

[V1tol]

Did he actually add tabs where they weren't before? If so, is this not the exact kind of thing Linus would throw a fit over if someone else had done it? He's gone on "We don't break userspace" rants over people making these sorts of changes before.

I mean, rejecting the change and saying "fix yer shit" is one thing, but deliberately breaking 3rd party software (no matter how 'correct' the reasons) seems apple-level hostile.

Lol, Kconfig is a text file. "Don't break userspace" is about ABI.

[anarki2]

😂😂😂 love it

[curfew]

This time he's wrong. Tabs have no purpose in anything. It's an ancient gimmick aimed at saving meaningless amounts of storage space and computing resources by inventing a silly character that can substitute multiple somewhat redundant characters, while also including annoying side-effects, and sometimes even bugs as evident. Those days are gone, have been for 30 years already.

[DanL]

I don't understand this. If you want to have tabs in the kernel, then put them in where they make sense instead of trying to disguise them as spaces. And if third party Kconfig parser dev/user complains, tell them "too bad". What is the point of this passive-aggressive nonsense?

[c117152]

This time he's wrong. Tabs have no purpose in anything. It's an ancient gimmick aimed at saving meaningless amounts of storage space and computing resources by inventing a silly character that can substitute multiple somewhat redundant characters, while also including annoying side-effects, and sometimes even bugs as evident. Those days are gone, have been for 30 years already.

Tabs enable elastic tabstop.