# RE: \[PATCH 0/5\] \[RFC\] printk/ia64/ppc64/parisc64: let's deprecate %pF/%pf printk specifiers

- From: David Laight \<hidden\>
- Date: 2017-09-19 13:38:56 
- List: linuxppc-dev
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/linuxppc-dev/2017/09/5090826
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/linuxppc-dev/2017/09/5089064/t.md

```text
From: Sergey Senozhatsky
> Sent: 19 September 2017 03:06
...
> I'll simply convert everything to `unsigned long'. including the
> dereference_function_descriptor() function [I believe there are
> still some casts happening when we pass addr from kernel/module
> dereference functions to dereference_function_descriptor(), or
> when we return `void *' back to symbol resolution code, etc.)
> besides, it seems that everything that uses
> dereference_function_descriptor() wants `unsigned long' anyway:

Using 'unsigned long' for any kind of pointer is an accident
waiting do happen.
It also makes it difficult to typecheck the function calls.
Using 'void *' isn't any better.
Either a pointer to an undefined struct, or a struct containing
a single 'char' member, is likely to be safest.

	David
```