title: Why is the probe method needed in Linux device drivers in addition to init?
body: <p>In the linux kernel, what does the <code>probe()</code> method, that the driver provides, do? How different is it from the driver's <code>init</code> function, i.e. why can't the <code>probe()</code> functions actions be performed in the driver's <code>init</code> function ?</p>