The ALSA sound subsystem has worked to eliminate the term 'slave'

Developers of the ALSA sound subsystem prepared for inclusion in the linux-next branch, on the basis of which the 5.9 kernel release will be formed, a set of the changes, freeing the kernel-side code from politically incorrect terms. The changes are prepared in accordance with recently accepted recommendations for using inclusive terminology in the Linux kernel.

The changes include 10 patches, of which 9 are related to removing the terms 'whitelist' and 'blacklist' from the code of sound drivers ac97, bt87x, ctxfi, es1968, hda, intel8x0, nm256, via82xx, usb-audio. These terms are replaced with 'allowlist' and 'denylist'. The tenth patch aims to discontinue the established term 'slave' in the vmaster API.

Renaming concerns including the names of structures and functions. Initially, 'replica' was chosen as the replacement (for example, the function snd_ctl_add_slave() was replaced with snd_ctl_add_replica()), which caused , as the term replica is more applicable to databases and distorts the meaning in the context of the sound subsystem. As a result, the term was word
changed to 'follower', which also introduces some ambiguity (for example, instead of 'list of slave' and 'link slave', 'list of follower' and 'link follower' are now used). Notably, the term 'master' has been retained, including in the name of the vmaster API itself, as it is regarded in the context of 'master volume control'. criticismThe patches have been proposed for the linux-next branch by Takashi Iwai, the maintainer of the ALSA subsystem working at SUSE. However, it is still unclear whether they will be approved for inclusion in the kernel by Linus Torvalds, as many function names in the vmaster API overlap with functions in selected the sound driver development API

, which may lead to significant terminology confusion. Moreover, removing the term slave from the driver development API will cause compatibility issues with third-party drivers, which are not part of the main kernel, as well as with external patches and configurations. Among the unrelated terminology changes plannedfor inclusion in the Linux 5.9 kernel, support for

a new device for controlling the backlight of the microphone activation buttons and mute switch. Support for new hardware has also been added, including a controller Intel Silent Stream (a mode for maintaining constant power for external HDMI devices to eliminate latency when playback starts) and The developers of the ALSA sound subsystem have prepared for inclusion in the linux-next branch. 🥇Work has been done in the ALSA sound subsystem to eliminate the term slave | ProHoster
Support for new hardware has also been added, including the controller Loongson 7A1000.

Source: opennet.ru