docs: process: remove outdated submitting-drivers.rst

Commit 31b24be ("docs: add a warning to submitting-drivers.rst") in October 2016 already warns "This (...) should maybe just be deleted, but I'm not quite ready to do that yet". Maybe, six years ago, we were not ready but let us remove old content for the better now and structure and maintain less content in the kernel documentation with a better result. Drop this already outdated document and adjust all textual references. Here is an argument why deleting the content will not remove any useful information to the existing kernel documentation, individually broken down for each section. Section "Allocating Device Numbers" refers to https://www.lanana.org/, and then refers to Documentation/admin-guide/devices.rst. However, the devices.rst clearly states: "The version of this document at lanana.org is no longer maintained." Everything needed for submitting drivers is already stated in devices.rst and the reference to https://www.lanana.org/ is outdated, and should be just deleted. Section "Who To Submit Drivers To" is all about Linux 2.0 - 2.6, before the new release version scheme; the mentioned developers are still around, but actually not the first developers to contact anymore. Section "What Criteria Determine Acceptance" has a few bullet points: Licensing and Copyright is well-covered in process/kernel-license.rst. Interfaces, Code, Portability, Clarity state some obvious things about ensuring kernel code quality. Control suggests to add a MAINTAINERS entry, which is already mentioned in 6.Followthrough.rst: "... added yourself to the MAINTAINERS file..." PM support states a bit about implementing and testing power management of a driver, it remains an open question where to place that in the process documents. Driver developers interested in power management will find the corresponding part on power management in the kernel documentation anyway. In section "What Criteria Do Not Determine Acceptance", the points Vendor and Author states something basic consequence of the kernel being an open-source community software development. Probably no need to mention it nowadays. Section "Resources" lists resources that are also mentioned elsewhere more central. - Linux kernel tree and mailing list is mentioned in many places. - https://lwn.net/Kernel/LDD3/ is mentioned in Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst. - https://lwn.net/ is mentioned in: - Documentation/process/8.Conclusion.rst - Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst - https://kernelnewbies.org/ is mentioned in: - Documentation/process/8.Conclusion.rst - Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst - http://www.linux-usb.org/ is mentioned in Documentation/driver-api/usb/usb.rst - https://landley.net/kdocs/ols/2002/ols2002-pages-545-555.pdf is mentioned in Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst - https://kernelnewbies.org/KernelJanitors is mentioned in Documentation/process/howto.rst - https://git-scm.com/ is mentioned in - Documentation/process/2.Process.rst - Documentation/process/7.AdvancedTopics.rst - Documentation/process/howto.rst Signed-off-by: Lukas Bulwahn <lukas.bulwahn@gmail.com> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20220704122537.3407-7-lukas.bulwahn@gmail.com Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
mariux64 · Jul 14, 2022 · 9db370d · 9db370d
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diff --git a/Documentation/hwmon/submitting-patches.rst b/Documentation/hwmon/submitting-patches.rst
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ increase the chances of your change being accepted.
 * It should be unnecessary to mention, but please read and follow:
 
     - Documentation/process/submit-checklist.rst
-    - Documentation/process/submitting-drivers.rst
     - Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
     - Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
 

diff --git a/Documentation/kernel-hacking/hacking.rst b/Documentation/kernel-hacking/hacking.rst
@@ -755,8 +755,7 @@ make a neat patch, there's administrative work to be done:
    it implies a more-than-passing commitment to some part of the code.
 
 -  Finally, don't forget to read
-   ``Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst`` and possibly
-   ``Documentation/process/submitting-drivers.rst``.
+   ``Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst``
 
 Kernel Cantrips
 ===============

diff --git a/Documentation/process/5.Posting.rst b/Documentation/process/5.Posting.rst
@@ -10,8 +10,7 @@ of conventions and procedures which are used in the posting of patches;
 following them will make life much easier for everybody involved.  This
 document will attempt to cover these expectations in reasonable detail;
 more information can also be found in the files
-:ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst <submittingpatches>`,
-:ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-drivers.rst  <submittingdrivers>`
+:ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst <submittingpatches>`
 and :ref:`Documentation/process/submit-checklist.rst <submitchecklist>`.
 
 

diff --git a/Documentation/process/8.Conclusion.rst b/Documentation/process/8.Conclusion.rst
@@ -5,15 +5,13 @@ For more information
 
 There are numerous sources of information on Linux kernel development and
 related topics.  First among those will always be the Documentation
-directory found in the kernel source distribution.  The top-level :ref:`process/howto.rst <process_howto>`
-file is an important starting point; :ref:`process/submitting-patches.rst <submittingpatches>`
-and :ref:`process/submitting-drivers.rst  <submittingdrivers>`
-are also something which all kernel developers should
-read.  Many internal kernel APIs are documented using the kerneldoc
-mechanism; "make htmldocs" or "make pdfdocs" can be used to generate those
-documents in HTML or PDF format (though the version of TeX shipped by some
-distributions runs into internal limits and fails to process the documents
-properly).
+directory found in the kernel source distribution.  Start with the
+top-level :ref:`process/howto.rst <process_howto>`; also read
+:ref:`process/submitting-patches.rst <submittingpatches>`. Many internal
+kernel APIs are documented using the kerneldoc mechanism; "make htmldocs"
+or "make pdfdocs" can be used to generate those documents in HTML or PDF
+format (though the version of TeX shipped by some distributions runs into
+internal limits and fails to process the documents properly).
 
 Various web sites discuss kernel development at all levels of detail.  Your
 author would like to humbly suggest https://lwn.net/ as a source;

diff --git a/Documentation/process/howto.rst b/Documentation/process/howto.rst
@@ -105,8 +105,8 @@ required reading:
     patches if these rules are followed, and many people will only
     review code if it is in the proper style.
 
-  :ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst <submittingpatches>` and :ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-drivers.rst <submittingdrivers>`
-    These files describe in explicit detail how to successfully create
+  :ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst <submittingpatches>`
+    This file describes in explicit detail how to successfully create
     and send a patch, including (but not limited to):
 
        - Email contents

diff --git a/Documentation/process/index.rst b/Documentation/process/index.rst
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ Other guides to the community that are of interest to most developers are:
    :maxdepth: 1
 
    changes
-   submitting-drivers
    stable-api-nonsense
    management-style
    stable-kernel-rules

diff --git a/Documentation/process/submitting-drivers.rst b/Documentation/process/submitting-drivers.rst
diff --git a/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst b/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
@@ -12,9 +12,8 @@ This document contains a large number of suggestions in a relatively terse
 format.  For detailed information on how the kernel development process
 works, see Documentation/process/development-process.rst. Also, read
 Documentation/process/submit-checklist.rst
-for a list of items to check before submitting code.  If you are submitting
-a driver, also read Documentation/process/submitting-drivers.rst; for device
-tree binding patches, read
+for a list of items to check before submitting code.
+For device tree binding patches, read
 Documentation/devicetree/bindings/submitting-patches.rst.
 
 This documentation assumes that you're using ``git`` to prepare your patches.