diff --git a/hw/arm/allwinner-a10.c b/hw/arm/allwinner-a10.c
index 01206f243c..86965a72a5 100644
--- a/hw/arm/allwinner-a10.c
+++ b/hw/arm/allwinner-a10.c
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ static void aw_a10_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     sysbus_mmio_map(sysbusdev, 0, AW_A10_EMAC_BASE);
     sysbus_connect_irq(sysbusdev, 0, s->irq[55]);
 
+    /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of serial_hds[] */
     serial_mm_init(get_system_memory(), AW_A10_UART0_REG_BASE, 2, s->irq[1],
                    115200, serial_hds[0], DEVICE_NATIVE_ENDIAN);
 }
diff --git a/hw/char/cadence_uart.c b/hw/char/cadence_uart.c
index a5dc2a4366..4f38f0c6a5 100644
--- a/hw/char/cadence_uart.c
+++ b/hw/char/cadence_uart.c
@@ -483,6 +483,7 @@ static void cadence_uart_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     s->fifo_trigger_handle = timer_new_ns(QEMU_CLOCK_VIRTUAL,
                                           fifo_trigger_update, s);
 
+    /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of qemu_char_get_next_serial() */
     s->chr = qemu_char_get_next_serial();
 
     if (s->chr) {
diff --git a/hw/char/digic-uart.c b/hw/char/digic-uart.c
index 8abe944de6..f272491ddb 100644
--- a/hw/char/digic-uart.c
+++ b/hw/char/digic-uart.c
@@ -143,6 +143,7 @@ static void digic_uart_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
 {
     DigicUartState *s = DIGIC_UART(dev);
 
+    /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of qemu_char_get_next_serial() */
     s->chr = qemu_char_get_next_serial();
     if (s->chr) {
         qemu_chr_add_handlers(s->chr, uart_can_rx, uart_rx, uart_event, s);
diff --git a/hw/char/etraxfs_ser.c b/hw/char/etraxfs_ser.c
index 460094e79e..3381b86bfe 100644
--- a/hw/char/etraxfs_ser.c
+++ b/hw/char/etraxfs_ser.c
@@ -219,6 +219,7 @@ static int etraxfs_ser_init(SysBusDevice *dev)
                           "etraxfs-serial", R_MAX * 4);
     sysbus_init_mmio(dev, &s->mmio);
 
+    /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of qemu_char_get_next_serial() */
     s->chr = qemu_char_get_next_serial();
     if (s->chr) {
         qemu_chr_add_handlers(s->chr,
diff --git a/hw/char/lm32_juart.c b/hw/char/lm32_juart.c
index 628a86fc06..03285da00b 100644
--- a/hw/char/lm32_juart.c
+++ b/hw/char/lm32_juart.c
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@ static int lm32_juart_init(SysBusDevice *dev)
 {
     LM32JuartState *s = LM32_JUART(dev);
 
+    /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of qemu_char_get_next_serial() */
     s->chr = qemu_char_get_next_serial();
     if (s->chr) {
         qemu_chr_add_handlers(s->chr, juart_can_rx, juart_rx, juart_event, s);
diff --git a/hw/char/lm32_uart.c b/hw/char/lm32_uart.c
index 4f2096637d..39cad494f8 100644
--- a/hw/char/lm32_uart.c
+++ b/hw/char/lm32_uart.c
@@ -258,6 +258,7 @@ static int lm32_uart_init(SysBusDevice *dev)
                           "uart", R_MAX * 4);
     sysbus_init_mmio(dev, &s->iomem);
 
+    /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of qemu_char_get_next_serial() */
     s->chr = qemu_char_get_next_serial();
     if (s->chr) {
         qemu_chr_add_handlers(s->chr, uart_can_rx, uart_rx, uart_event, s);
diff --git a/hw/char/milkymist-uart.c b/hw/char/milkymist-uart.c
index d05b825340..b79ea09874 100644
--- a/hw/char/milkymist-uart.c
+++ b/hw/char/milkymist-uart.c
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@ static void milkymist_uart_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
 {
     MilkymistUartState *s = MILKYMIST_UART(dev);
 
+    /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of qemu_char_get_next_serial() */
     s->chr = qemu_char_get_next_serial();
     if (s->chr) {
         qemu_chr_add_handlers(s->chr, uart_can_rx, uart_rx, uart_event, s);
diff --git a/hw/char/pl011.c b/hw/char/pl011.c
index 0a451150e5..d1cf00f449 100644
--- a/hw/char/pl011.c
+++ b/hw/char/pl011.c
@@ -293,6 +293,7 @@ static void pl011_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
 {
     PL011State *s = PL011(dev);
 
+    /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of qemu_char_get_next_serial() */
     s->chr = qemu_char_get_next_serial();
 
     if (s->chr) {
diff --git a/hw/char/stm32f2xx_usart.c b/hw/char/stm32f2xx_usart.c
index 260b053044..669c4e3b6f 100644
--- a/hw/char/stm32f2xx_usart.c
+++ b/hw/char/stm32f2xx_usart.c
@@ -198,6 +198,7 @@ static void stm32f2xx_usart_init(Object *obj)
                           TYPE_STM32F2XX_USART, 0x2000);
     sysbus_init_mmio(SYS_BUS_DEVICE(obj), &s->mmio);
 
+    /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of qemu_char_get_next_serial() */
     s->chr = qemu_char_get_next_serial();
 
     if (s->chr) {
diff --git a/hw/char/xilinx_uartlite.c b/hw/char/xilinx_uartlite.c
index f7c3cae2fa..cb546848bb 100644
--- a/hw/char/xilinx_uartlite.c
+++ b/hw/char/xilinx_uartlite.c
@@ -205,6 +205,7 @@ static void xilinx_uartlite_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
 {
     XilinxUARTLite *s = XILINX_UARTLITE(dev);
 
+    /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of qemu_char_get_next_serial() */
     s->chr = qemu_char_get_next_serial();
     if (s->chr)
         qemu_chr_add_handlers(s->chr, uart_can_rx, uart_rx, uart_event, s);
diff --git a/hw/isa/pc87312.c b/hw/isa/pc87312.c
index 2849e8d367..3b1fcec537 100644
--- a/hw/isa/pc87312.c
+++ b/hw/isa/pc87312.c
@@ -278,6 +278,7 @@ static void pc87312_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     pc87312_hard_reset(s);
 
     if (is_parallel_enabled(s)) {
+        /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of parallel_hds[] */
         chr = parallel_hds[0];
         if (chr == NULL) {
             chr = qemu_chr_new("par0", "null", NULL);
@@ -296,6 +297,7 @@ static void pc87312_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
 
     for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
         if (is_uart_enabled(s, i)) {
+            /* FIXME use a qdev chardev prop instead of serial_hds[] */
             chr = serial_hds[i];
             if (chr == NULL) {
                 snprintf(name, sizeof(name), "ser%d", i);