[U-Boot] [PATCH 0/2] api: extend accessible set of block device attributes

[Che-liang Chiou]

Hi Detlev,

Oops, I did not know it is intentionally to keep the external apps API
as it is now.

I am working on an open source secure bootloader based on U-Boot.
Mostly I wrote boot logic (by boot logic I mean prompting user and
listing available devices sort of things). If you see U-Boot as a
platform, you can think of my project as an application running on top
of U-Boot, except that my application is statically linked with
U-Boot.

The boot logic is running on ARM and x86. Through the project I have
learned that certain APIs would be helpful, such as enumerating all
available block device and drawing bitmaps on screen regardless of
which driver (video or LCD) you are using.

It was probably a misleading finding when I searched the code base: I
saw only the external apps API implemented an API for enumerating
available block device. So I thought improving the external apps API
was the right place to go.

Alternatively (if not go the external apps API), we could have like
common/cmd_enum_block_dev.c that does what I am planning to do, and I
am happy to do this. What do you think?

Regards,
Che-Liang

On Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 12:06 AM, Detlev Zundel <dzu at denx.de> wrote:
> Hi,
>
>> struct device_info in api_public.h defined its own subset of attributes
>> of block_dev_desc, which limits the capability of external apps.
>>
>> This patch set let external apps access the same set of block device
>> attributes as U-Boot.
>
> Generally speaking, we are intentionally limiting our API to external
> applications.  It should be easier to extend U-Boot itself (and
> everybody will profit from the new code under a free license) rather
> than writing proprietary applications.
>
> Can you pleas tell us what the intention of the extension is?  We surely
> will not accept patches gradually exposing all of the U-Boot internals
> through the API and paving the way for proprietary applications.  So
> every extension has to be balanced and discussed.
>
> Thanks
>  Detlev
>
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