Inaky Perez-Gonzalez wrote:
I don't think bitfields are broken. Maybe it's the compiler what should be fixed (*)
Then you do not understand bitfields. It is -axiomatic- that bitfields are more difficult for compilers to implement.
Access to bitfields are not atomic within the machine int in which they are stored... you need to "unpack" the values stored in bitfields, even if they are single-bit bitfields.
You cannot set multiple bitfields at one time, without even more complex data structures. You cannot compare and test multiple bitfields at one time.
Humans have proven in kernel-land to screw up bitfields repeatedly. The evidence is plain to see:
union { struct { u32 reserved1:15; u32 val:2; } __attribute__((packed)) u32 data; } value;
Using "u32 flags", and nothing else, is just so much more simple and obvious.
Finally, this is -nothing new-. I've been telling other driver writers not to use bitfields in their drivers. Google for 'garzik' and 'bitfield'.
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