I'm not sure if the debug console will be accepted to mainline, but
I
think this patch alone is an improvement over the current
implementation
Frankly, I don't think so - it just makes the code bigger for no good use to 99.9% of the users.
of using a global string and multiple external console_buffer references. I've always thought global variables should be avoided if there is a reasonable alternative
But this is a boot loader, and size matters.
I had assumed gcc/ld would be smart enough to optimize the function call away, seeing as there is no conditional code in it. I just tested, and the size was increased by 48 bytes for the MPC8548CDS reference board after applying the patch. Inlining the console_buffer_addr() didn't get rid of the 48 bytes of bloat.
I guess this patch's fate will be the same as "[RFC] Add support for early serial debug console"...
Thanks, Peter