Re: [PATCH] fix platform_rename_gsi related ia32 build breakage

[Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>]

On Thu, 11 Nov 2004, Len Brown wrote:
> 
> The _gsi in platform_rename_gsi was consistent with the surrounding use
> in the ACPI case.  I decided to re-use the same funtion for the MPS case
> for simplicity, even though io_apic.c uses _irq.  If you like, I can add
> a synonym using an inline for _irq, but I thought we were moving away
> from using _irq, not towards it.

We _definitely_ prefer "irq" over something else that means the same 
thing.

If GSI means some _specific_ interrupt, and thus has additional meaning 
over "irq", then by all means, use it, but spell it out. "Global System 
Interrupt" means _nothing_ to me. What makes it "global"? What makes it 
"system"?

The _only_ thing that uses "gsi" is the MP table stuff, and that's 
apparently just from the documentation.

In other words, if it's a normal interrupt, it's "irq" or "interrupt". The 
same way a "disk" is a "disk" - it's not a DASD. 

Stupid acronyms that don't actually mean anything more than the standard 
name are nothing but stupid.

Interrupts are interrupts. We call them something else only if they are 
_specific_ interrupts (ie a "NMI" clearly has a very _specific_ meaning, 
as has "SCI", although the latter is already obscure enough that it's 
probably a good idea to spell it out a bit if it is ever used outside of a 
context where use is obvious).

		Linus