It shorten, as typed chars, access to config values as there is one pointer less. Also, when config/platform data is passed to driver there could be some values that are not relevant to store state as such or not needed to store at all. Signed-off-by: Antti Palosaari <crope@iki.fi> Signed-off-by: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab@s-opensource.com>