Re: [patch] Re: Magic Alt-SysRq change in 2.6.18-rc1

[Andrew Morton <akpm@osdl.org>]

Roman Zippel <zippel@linux-m68k.org> wrote:
>
> Hi,
> 
> On Tue, 11 Jul 2006, Andrew Morton wrote:
> 
> > > On Wed, 12 Jul 2006, Pavel Machek wrote:
> > > 
> > > > BTW I believe that original way (alt down, sysrq down, b down) still
> > > > works before and after the patch.
> > > 
> > > No, it doesn't.
> > > 
> > > > Here's patch that updates docs with now-working trick.
> > > 
> > > NACK.
> > > 
> > 
> > Nack your nack!  The patch in 2.6.18-rc1 makes sysrq work on machines on
> > which it *did not work at all*.  If that makes it harder to type but still
> > possible to type on other machines, well, we win.
> 
> Why can't we even _try_ to preserve compatibility? :-(
> 

It would of course be good if we could do that.  If it's impossible to
retain the old behaviour without breaking those oddball keyboards then
we're screwed.

IOW, someone needs to find a way to make the new code work like the old
code without re-breaking Pavel's keyboard.  But the bitchin-to-patchin
ratio here seems to exclude that outcome.