ere's no reason to check for NULL first. Removing the unneeded conditionals (which is what the patch does) brings us the benefit of having to execute a few fewer test/branch instructions and also reduces object code size slightly: before: text data bss dec hex filename 8630 112 3312 12054 2f16 drivers/staging/pohmelfs/crypto.o 0000000000000cbe : cbe: 55 push %rbp cbf: 48 89 e5 mov %rsp,%rbp cc2: 53 push %rbx cc3: 48 83 ec 08 sub $0x8,%rsp cc7: e8 00 00 00 00 callq ccc ccc: 48 ff 05 00 00 00 00 incq 0x0(%rip) # cd3 cd3: 48 89 fb mov %rdi,%rbx cd6: 48 8b 7f 20 mov 0x20(%rdi),%rdi cda: 48 85 ff test %rdi,%rdi cdd: 74 0c je ceb cdf: 48 ff 05 00 00 00 00 incq 0x0(%rip) # ce6 ce6: e8 58 fa ff ff callq 743 ceb: 48 8b 7b 28 mov 0x28(%rbx),%rdi cef: 48 85 ff test %rdi,%rdi cf2: 75 09 jne cfd cf4: 48 ff 05 00 00 00 00 incq 0x0(%rip) # cfb cfb: eb 16 jmp d13 cfd: 48 89 fe mov %rdi,%rsi d00: 48 ff 05 00 00 00 00 incq 0x0(%rip) # d07 d07: e8 00 00 00 00 callq d0c d0c: 48 ff 05 00 00 00 00 incq 0x0(%rip) # d13 d13: 48 8b 7b 18 mov 0x18(%rbx),%rdi d17: e8 00 00 00 00 callq d1c d1c: 48 ff 05 00 00 00 00 incq 0x0(%rip) # d23 d23: 5e pop %rsi d24: 5b pop %rbx d25: c9 leaveq d26: c3 retq after: text data bss dec hex filename 8604 112 3296 12012 2eec drivers/staging/pohmelfs/crypto.o 0000000000000cbe : cbe: 55 push %rbp cbf: 48 89 e5 mov %rsp,%rbp cc2: 53 push %rbx cc3: 48 83 ec 08 sub $0x8,%rsp cc7: e8 00 00 00 00 callq ccc ccc: 48 ff 05 00 00 00 00 incq 0x0(%rip) # cd3 cd3: 48 89 fb mov %rdi,%rbx cd6: 48 8b 7f 20 mov 0x20(%rdi),%rdi cda: e8 64 fa ff ff callq 743 cdf: 48 8b 7b 28 mov 0x28(%rbx),%rdi ce3: 48 ff 05 00 00 00 00 incq 0x0(%rip) # cea cea: 48 89 fe mov %rdi,%rsi ced: e8 00 00 00 00 callq cf2 cf2: 48 8b 7b 18 mov 0x18(%rbx),%rdi cf6: 48 ff 05 00 00 00 00 incq 0x0(%rip) # cfd cfd: e8 00 00 00 00 callq d02 d02: 48 ff 05 00 00 00 00 incq 0x0(%rip) # d09 d09: 5e pop %rsi d0a: 5b pop %rbx d0b: c9 leaveq d0c: c3 retq Signed-off-by: Jesper Juhl Acked-by: Evgeniy Polyakov Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman ^WĘŚ›2x