On Sun, 30 Dec 2001 05:12, Collins Richey wrote: > <rant> > It would surely be nice if the compiler and library folks could make > progress without breaking old things. I still remember (not too fondly) > all the havoc that the current glibc generated when it was new. > </rant>
<double rant squared> THE problem with glibc is that is not a General Library of C at all but a truly confused mish-mash of kernel only specifics and userland generics. A *general* C library is just that. It contains agnostic code such as printf(), strcpy() and others, uses standard headers such as <ctype.h> . It does not have stupidites in it for kernel locking semaphores, and equally ridiculous and constantly changing header files. If anyone can ever explain to me what the kernel only printk() statement is doing in a *general* library, I'll learn Visual Basic as a punishment. The idea behind a *general* library is to add functions that can *generally* be used. Explain that sentence when kernel code for now-useless SYN packets is a 'good idea'. No better example of the bastardisation they've caused is the requirement to compile using a *general" c library for the 'kernel' and another *general* c library for kde and another *general* c library for redhat. The idiocy of a 'general' set of headers in /lib versus a 'general' set of headers for /usr/src/linux, versus an obsolete (but general) set of headers for 'legacy' api's. (ie ones they don't want to fix anymore, thinking of something even more brilliant) If you accept that 90% of truly *general* c functions have worked since year dot, that 10% of those get 'improved' and that 10% of the improved ones cause problems, those problems are insignificant. To mix this with 'improved' kernel functions is either an excercise in stupidty, or much more probably, and indictment of anal retentivity. They can't let go. We pride ourselves on slapping at Microsoft. Idiocy is often closer to $home. This situation will never improve, nor resolve, until the control-freak mentaility is removed from gcc / glibc. The kernel is NOT general and until it is removed from glib we will continue to live in interesting times. No real world busines would ever accept this degree of instability, they'd be fired. -- http://linux.nf -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Linux-users mailing list Archives, Digests, etc at http://linux.nf/mailman/listinfo/linux-users
