Re: [RFC] Breaking data compatibility with userspace bzlib

["Jörn Engel" <joern@wohnheim.fh-wedel.de>]

On Fri, 20 June 2003 12:45:10 -0700, David S. Miller wrote:
>    From: Jörn Engel <joern@wohnheim.fh-wedel.de>
>    Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 20:59:15 +0200
>    
>    The whole interface of the bzlib was modelled after the zlib
>    interface.
> 
> The zlib interface is actually problematic, it doesn't allow
> handling of scatter-gather lists on input or output for example.
> 
> Therefore we couldn't make the compress cryptolib interface
> take scatterlists elements either, which is a huge problem.

Is there a reason to use the zlib and nothing but the zlib for the
cryptolib?  RFCs 1950 - 1952?  Or would any form of compression do, in
principle at least?

In the worst case, I consider it not too hard to add a wrapper
interface to the zlib to do the scatter-gather handling.  Actually
going deeply into the guts of the zlib is not good for a kernel
hackers sanity though.  The massive use of macros with magic knowledge
of the surrounding functions is - well - interesting.

Jörn

-- 
If you're willing to restrict the flexibility of your approach,
you can almost always do something better.
-- John Carmack