Remove reborrows?

[ppannuto]

Pull Request Overview

We use a re-borrow idiom everywhere we access registers. Once upon a lifetime, when MMIO looked very different, I think this was necessary as we changed types to something that let us access the hardware. After the introduction of StaticRef, however, I don't think we actually need this anymore and we can simplify all of the register accesses.

There ~300 more instances of this &* register pattern in the kernel, so I wanted to take a temperature check on this before doing more of them.

Testing Strategy

Compiling.

TODO or Help Wanted

Is there are a reason to keep all of these &* around?

Documentation Updated

• Updated the relevant files in /docs, or no updates are required.

Formatting

• Ran make prepush.

[brghena]

If we don't need this line of code with the obscure &* everywhere, then I definitely want it gone.

[brghena]

This could also be a good time to standardize whether the reference to registers is called regs or registers. Your two example files make different choices.

[bradjc]

I support this.

This could also be a good time to standardize whether the reference to registers is called regs or registers. Your two example files make different choices.

I don't, however, think we need to manage variable names at this level.

[phil-levis]

I support this.

This could also be a good time to standardize whether the reference to registers is called regs or registers. Your two example files make different choices.

I don't, however, think we need to manage variable names at this level.

I don't think we need to manage them, but consistency is good. I.e., we're not going to reject a PR because it says regs instead of registers, but there is no good reason to have variation. However, if you have consistency, then new contributors will see it and follow it.

[ppannuto]

I think I got all of the ones that make sense to do as part of a mass refactor. We sill have the &* idiom in a few places, but most of those seem necessary.

[bradjc]

Too much for me to look through...hopefully it is all good :)

[phil-levis]

bors r+

[ppannuto]

bors retry

[bors]

Build succeeded:

• ci-build (macos-latest)
• ci-build (ubuntu-latest)
• ci-format (macos-latest)
• ci-format (ubuntu-latest)
• ci-qemu
• ci-tests (macos-latest)
• ci-tests (ubuntu-latest)