s/image/email/

How I miss an edit feature on emails :-D

On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 5:17 PM Alan C. Assis <[email protected]> wrote:

> BTW, I'm saying that the idea of creating the VOTE image was yours, just
> saying you commented we need to have a vote for that PR that disables
> signals. ;-)
>
> BR,
>
> Alan
>
> On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 5:13 PM Alan C. Assis <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Mateusz,
>>
>> Since the idea of voting came from you in the first place, could you
>> please start a separate thread to DISCUSS it? :-)
>>
>> BR,
>>
>> Alan
>>
>> On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 5:03 PM raiden00pl <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> It's become quite a mess here, starting with the thread titled VOTE
>>> without DISCUSSION :) The title also suggests that the lack of
>>> POSIX compliance in NuttX is something new, which is not true.
>>>
>>> We've touched two separate topics here that I think deserve
>>> their own separate discussion. The first topic: should we introduce
>>> an option to disable signal support, similar to how we currently
>>> disable pthreads or POSIX timers? Both options are not
>>> POSIX-compliant, but are useful for small systems and they
>>> have been in NuttX for a long time.
>>>
>>> The second topic is support for POSIX subprofiles (like PSE51),
>>> but this is the topic for later.
>>>
>>> czw., 20 lis 2025 o 20:53 Tomek CEDRO <[email protected]> napisał(a):
>>>
>>> > Alan, Raiden, what is the exact proposition here being voted?
>>> > One sentence that can be answered yes or no.
>>> >
>>> > It looks like a proposition to make NuttX "NOT POSIX Compliant".
>>> > This violates fundamental architecutral concept and inviolables of
>>> NuttX.
>>> > Thus my answer is NO.
>>> >
>>> > Implication of answering yes here is enabling mess in the long term.
>>> > Because vote is not well defined, undocumented, with no examples or
>>> > prototypes, anything that is on purpose not POSIX compliant could
>>> > legally become part of NuttX making if purposefully non-posix
>>> > compliant which violates its founding principle, and all this could be
>>> > attributed to this vote.
>>> >
>>> > As a BSD Unix user on my desktop I understand that pretty well, NuttX
>>> > has BSD Unix roots too and I love it!
>>> > I will not tell anything about other OR/RTOS except they may not care
>>> > about self-compatibility and standards a lot, and people have choice
>>> > what to use or what to avoid.
>>> >
>>> > If anyone wants to trim down their firmware image removing all sorts
>>> > of unused parts, that is their choice, I am fine with that, I also
>>> > need that.
>>> >
>>> > But to introduce "NOT POSIX Compliant" to a project where "POSIX
>>> > Compliance" is a design principle looks self-contradictory.
>>> >
>>> > Lets have a discussion first, know the details, align the solution,
>>> then
>>> > vote.
>>> > Lets not vote by surprise because voting is binding.
>>> >
>>> > Hugs :-)
>>> > Tomek
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > CeDeROM, SQ7MHZ, http://www.tomek.cedro.info
>>> >
>>> > On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 8:23 PM Alan C. Assis <[email protected]>
>>> wrote:
>>> > >
>>> > > Exactly!!!
>>> > >
>>> > > If we remove all non-POSIX features and remove all chips that doesn't
>>> > have
>>> > > MMU, NuttX will run only in 3 or 4 boards.
>>> > >
>>> > > Is this the direction we want to go?
>>> > >
>>> > > BR,
>>> > >
>>> > > Alan
>>> > >
>>> > > On Thursday, November 20, 2025, raiden00pl <[email protected]>
>>> wrote:
>>> > >
>>> > > > TBH, I don't understand these -1 votes...
>>> > > >
>>> > > > NuttX isn't fully POSIX-compliant and never will be, unless we
>>> > > > want to get rid of 80% of the supported targets. Full POSIX
>>> compliance
>>> > > > requires an MMU, for example, for proper mmap() implementation.
>>> > > > You can't support "deeply-embedded environments" (quote from doc)
>>> and
>>> > > > full POSIX at the same time. This is an obvious contradiction.
>>> > > > POSIX profiles (PSE) improve this somewhat, but an MMU is still
>>> > required
>>> > > > for full compatibility (mmap issue).
>>> > > >
>>> > > > So what about the features currently present in NuttX that are
>>> > obviously
>>> > > > not POSIX-compliant? Like everything in `menuconfig
>>> DISABLE_OS_API`.
>>> > > > Even the NuttX documentation indirectly states from the very
>>> beginning
>>> > that
>>> > > > NuttX is NOT fully POSIX because it doesn't support fork() which is
>>> > > > required
>>> > > > by the POSIX base specification.
>>> > > >
>>> > > > czw., 20 lis 2025 o 19:41 Tomek CEDRO <[email protected]>
>>> napisał(a):
>>> > > >
>>> > > > > -1 from me as per this vote too sorry.
>>> > > > >
>>> > > > > I am sure there are other ways to accomplish that goal.
>>> > > > >
>>> > > > > We do not want to communicate officially in any way that we are
>>> "NOT
>>> > > > > POSIX Compliant" on purpose when we clearly state in many places
>>> > > > > "strict POSIX and ANSI compliance" including the Inviolables.
>>> That
>>> > > > > will make us incoherent and self-contradictory.
>>> > > > >
>>> > > > > As in my previous response, trimming down the firmware in extreme
>>> > > > > cases can be achieved by removing unused functionalities, at the
>>> > > > > individual responsibility of the developer. I know there may be
>>> use
>>> > > > > cases for that, and people still want to use NuttX not the other
>>> > RTOS,
>>> > > > > which is important.
>>> > > > >
>>> > > > > My proposition is to clearly mark all POSIX functionalities,
>>> that are
>>> > > > > enabled and available by default, and when any of them is removed
>>> > then
>>> > > > > final solution is not POSIX compliant (may be not even used this
>>> is
>>> > up
>>> > > > > to the firmware developer) but necessary to accomplish the task.
>>> This
>>> > > > > provides a choice for trimming down the firmware image but
>>> sticks to
>>> > > > > POSIX/ANSI by default.
>>> > > > >
>>> > > > > This way we stick to POSIX/ANSI compliance by default. We have
>>> clear
>>> > > > > identification of POSIX / PE51 parts. We allow trimming down the
>>> > final
>>> > > > > firmware in known range of POSIX / PE51 or beyond.
>>> > > > >
>>> > > > > What do you think? :-)
>>> > > > >
>>> > > > > --
>>> > > > > CeDeROM, SQ7MHZ, http://www.tomek.cedro.info
>>> > > > >
>>> > > > > On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 7:16 PM Gregory Nutt <
>>> [email protected]>
>>> > > > wrote:
>>> > > > > >
>>> > > > > > -1
>>> > > > > >
>>> > > > > > Bad idea.  Destroys the core value proposition for the OS.
>>> > > > > > ________________________________
>>> > > > > > From: Alan C. Assis <[email protected]>
>>> > > > > > Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2025 5:05 AM
>>> > > > > > To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
>>> > > > > > Subject: Re: [VOTE] Add support to NOT POSIX Compliant (or
>>> should
>>> > be
>>> > > > add
>>> > > > > support ?)
>>> > > > > >
>>> > > > > > Hi Greg,
>>> > > > > >
>>> > > > > > Yes, I think the idea is to support POSIX subprofiles, this is
>>> the
>>> > case
>>> > > > > for
>>> > > > > > pthread, posix timers, signals, etc.
>>> > > > > >
>>> > > > > > I think these extreme cases are low end MCUs where we can
>>> offer the
>>> > > > > option
>>> > > > > > to run a small version of NuttX, without jeopardizing the
>>> usage for
>>> > > > > people
>>> > > > > > who need a compliant POSIX OS.
>>> > > > > >
>>> > > > > > BR,
>>> > > > > >
>>> > > > > > Alan
>>> > > > > >
>>> > > > > > On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 9:50 AM Gregory Nutt <
>>> [email protected]>
>>> > > > > wrote:
>>> > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > There should only be extreme conditions where any POSIX API
>>> is
>>> > > > > > > non-compliant.  POSIX complience is a core value of the OS
>>> and
>>> > should
>>> > > > > not
>>> > > > > > > be violated.  If we lose POSIX compliance then we have
>>> > destroyed the
>>> > > > > > > meaning for the existence of the operating system.  I hopr
>>> that
>>> > no
>>> > > > one
>>> > > > > will
>>> > > > > > > ever tolerate that to happen.
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > The only legitimate cases I can think of are due to hardware
>>> > > > > limitations.
>>> > > > > > > For example, certain features of mmap() and fork() cannot be
>>> > support
>>> > > > if
>>> > > > > > > there is no MMU.  uCLinux had the same limitations.
>>> > > > > > > ________________________________
>>> > > > > > > From: Alan C. Assis <[email protected]>
>>> > > > > > > Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2025 4:39 AM
>>> > > > > > > To: dev <[email protected]>
>>> > > > > > > Subject: [VOTE] Add support to NOT POSIX Compliant (or
>>> should be
>>> > add
>>> > > > > > > support ?)
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > Hi Everyone,
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > Some years ago NuttX was able to fit in really small MCUs (in
>>> > fact I
>>> > > > > got it
>>> > > > > > > running on a chip using less than 2KB RAM).
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > But a few years ago those options to disable SIGNALS, VFS,
>>> etc
>>> > were
>>> > > > > > > disabled to create a system that was fully POSIX compliant.
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > Unfortunately we missed the details: POSIX also aims at
>>> systems
>>> > > > without
>>> > > > > > > resources, as is the case of POSIX PE51 (POSIX PSE51 is a
>>> > specific,
>>> > > > > minimal
>>> > > > > > > profile or subset of the full POSIX - Portable Operating
>>> System
>>> > > > > Interface
>>> > > > > > > standard, formally defined in IEEE 1003.13-2003).
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > Almost two years ago I opened an issue about it:
>>> > > > > > > https://github.com/apache/nuttx/issues/11390
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > Today Mr Chengdong opened a PR to bring back the possibility
>>> to
>>> > > > disable
>>> > > > > > > signals:
>>> > > > > > > https://github.com/apache/nuttx/pull/17352
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > But as Mateusz (raiden00pl) pointed we need to be careful
>>> about
>>> > it to
>>> > > > > avoid
>>> > > > > > > breaking the Inviolables:
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > ## Strict POSIX compliance
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > >   - Strict conformance to the portable standard OS interface
>>> as
>>> > > > > defined at
>>> > > > > > >     OpenGroup.org.
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > *  - A deeply embedded system requires some special support.
>>> > Special
>>> > > > > > > support must be minimized.*  - The portable interface must
>>> never
>>> > be
>>> > > > > > > compromised only for the sake of
>>> > > > > > >     expediency.
>>> > > > > > >   - Expediency or even improved performance are not
>>> > justifications
>>> > > > for
>>> > > > > > >     violation of the strict POSIX interface.
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > Fortunately Greg chose well his words: "Special support must
>>> be
>>> > > > > minimized".
>>> > > > > > > It doesn't mean it could exist, we just need to take care to
>>> not
>>> > > > become
>>> > > > > > > normal or goal and jeopardize the system.
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > So in this sense I propose to vote a suggestion:
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > In the configuration where we already add an option to
>>> disable
>>> > posix
>>> > > > > timer,
>>> > > > > > > pthreads, etc we add an option to "Enable POSIX PE51 subset".
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > This way someone willing to disable signals will be aware
>>> he/she
>>> > is
>>> > > > > > > creating a system that is not POSIX fully compliant or it is
>>> > just a
>>> > > > > subset
>>> > > > > > > of a POSIX OS.
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > BR,
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > > > > Alan
>>> > > > > > >
>>> > > > >
>>> > > >
>>> >
>>>
>>

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