Re: [PATCH v4 12/14] simpletrace: added simplified Analyzer2 class

[Stefan Hajnoczi]

On Wed, Sep 06, 2023 at 09:57:32AM +0100, Daniel P. Berrangé wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 06, 2023 at 10:32:14AM +0200, Mads Ynddal wrote:
> > 
> > > AFAIK, we don't consider simpletrace.py python code to be a
> > > supported public API, just a command line tool.
> > > 
> > > IOW, we can change the python code at will, as long as the
> > > command line doesn't alter its behaviour. Thus I don't see
> > > a need to add new classes, just change the existing ones.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > With regards,
> > > Daniel
> > > -- 
> > > |: https://berrange.com      -o-    
> > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/dberrange :|
> > > |: https://libvirt.org         -o-            
> > > https://fstop138.berrange.com :|
> > > |: https://entangle-photo.org    -o-    
> > > https://www.instagram.com/dberrange :|
> > > 
> > 
> > This was based on feedback from Stefan in v2. I don't have strong opinions
> > about the one or the other. But now that the work has already been done,
> > I'd think the easiest would be to follow-through on the two versions.
> > 
> > https://lore.kernel.org/qemu-devel/20230504180326.GB581920@fedora/
> 
> I don't really agree with that feedback. We never document simpletrace.py
> as being a public facing Python API, only its usage as a CLI tool. It is
> also never installed into any Python library path, nor packaged as a PyPI
> module AFAIK.
> 
> If someone is none the less importing simpletrace.py from their app
> then they should copy the file wholesale into that code and take the
> responsibility for their usage.
> 
> I don't think QEMU should take on the burden of maintaining API
> compatibility for something we have never presented as a public API.

I wrote about the simpletrace API here in 2011:
http://blog.vmsplice.net/2011/03/how-to-write-trace-analysis-scripts-for.html

It was intended as an API and I don't think we should break people's
scripts unless there is a strong reason.

I don't know how many users there are, but it feels wrong to break
existing scripts without a strong reason to do so.

Stefan

> 
> With regards,
> Daniel
> -- 
> |: https://berrange.com      -o-    https://www.flickr.com/photos/dberrange :|
> |: https://libvirt.org         -o-            https://fstop138.berrange.com :|
> |: https://entangle-photo.org    -o-    https://www.instagram.com/dberrange :|
>

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