Re: Linux 5.0-rc1

[isdn@linux-pingi.de]

Hi all,

Am 09.02.19 um 20:42 schrieb Paul Bolle:
> Linus Torvalds schreef op zo 06-01-2019 om 18:14 [-0800]:
>> Nothing particular stands out, although I do like
>> seeing how some ancient drivers are getting put out to pasture
>> (*cought*isdn*cough*).
> 
> Just to let people know: the gigaset drivers will get my palliative care until
> a few weeks before September 1, 2019. Because at that date the Dutch consumer
> grade ISDN network (the "BRI" part of ISDN) will be shut down. So expect a
> patch to remove me from MAINTAINERS sometime during the v5.2 cycle.
> 
> That leaves just Karsten Keil to look after all the ISDN drivers. Karsten's
> last activity was in 2016. See commit 1e1589ad8b5c ("mISDN: Support DR6
> indication in mISDNipac driver"). Which is also the last commit apparently
> resolving an issue noticed by an actual _user_ of one of the ISDN drivers.
> 
> Perhaps Karsten could tell us whether there's any point in keeping the ISDN
> subsystem in the tree after September 1, 2019, and if so, in what form. I'm in
> no position to properly answer that question.
I still follow the kernel ISDN  patches. I very glad that Paul, Kees,
David and others handle everything without the need to jump in. I still
have some ISDN equipment running behind VOIP lines.
I do not think that here are so much direct users of BRI ISDN left, I
known only very few, but here are at least some.
mISDN is still used in embedded routers to emulate the classic ISDN S0
bus to use ISDN equipment on Internet based lines and last designs for
this usage are not so long ago (less a year ago, I know from questions I
got).
But of course ISDN is in palliative care and finally removing it is
maybe not a bad idea now.

Best
Karsten