> On January 23, 2016 at 1:36 PM Rainer Weikusat
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Peter Olson <[email protected]> writes:
> 5>> On January 22, 2016 at 4:34 PM Rainer Weikusat
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> [...]
>
> >> p = buf = alloca(total);
>
> [...]
>
> > the failure mode of alloca is SIGSEGV or some other malfunction and
> > there is no way to test for it
>
> It's supposed to allocate memory in the current stack frame which will
> work unless the stack has already grown to the limit.
From man7.org/linux/man-pages/man3/alloca.3.html section BUGS:
There is no error indication if the stack frame cannot be extended.
(However, after a failed allocation, the program is likely to receive
a SIGSEGV signal if it attempts to access the unallocated space.)
I have never been a fan of alloca though it obviously _can_ be used safely with
a little care. The hazard of passing a very long string by accident is what
makes it unsafe. In this case, with short enough strings it is no more
hazardous than a recursion that is too deep.
Peter Olson
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