I just ssh'd into three embedded boards I have handy, and they have
respectively four, four, and seven entries there. That "seven"
case is actually incorrect ... the other three serial ports aren't
connected to anything.
So: yes, adding a few hundred useless sysfs nodes *IS* a problem
in the target environment of embedded boards.
Note that "read-only until export" is far from straightforward
to achieve.
Which fails in a common case: chip labels are not unique.
Apples vs oranges. Use the same command syntax if you're going
to make comparisons; I can save even more with "+export/-unexport"
syntax. For comparable syntax, your stuff *IS* bigger.
The #3 option presumes some file listing chips and ranges too,
since GPIOs are exported only on demand. Ditto #2 and #4...
- Dave
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