Pthread is the default on other platforms because they generally don't let open usb device handles pass across a fork(). Since this works on Linux, and threads were so flaky all those years ago, non-threaded became the default for Linux. Honestly, I think it could be changed, but I don't think pthread is as well tested, since most user's use whatever their distro compiles :)
allan On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 10:52 AM, Johannes Meixner <jsmeix at suse.de> wrote: > > Hello, > > currently we (i.e. openSUSE/Novell) compile sane-backends > with its default configure setting "--disable-pthread" for Linux. > > A consequence is that the mustek_usb2 backend is not built > because it requires "--enable-pthread", see > https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=633780 > > Therefore I am thinking about to use "--enable-pthread" > but I don't know about possible bad consequences. > > Therefore I like to get information about the pros and cons > regarding "--enable-pthread". > > In particular what is the reason why "--enable-pthread" is > the default for MacOS X/MINGW but not for everything else, > in particular not for Linux. > > I found the older mail thread "fork or pthread for async I/O?" > on sane-devel dated February 2000: > http://www.sane-project.org/old-archive/2000-02/0013.html > where in particular > http://www.sane-project.org/old-archive/2000-02/0017.html > seems to show a reason why the default is "--disable-pthread". > > But I don't know if this default still makes sense or is it > probably safe at least for Linux to use "--enable-pthread"? > > > Kind Regards > Johannes Meixner > -- > SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, Maxfeldstrasse 5, 90409 Nuernberg, Germany > AG Nuernberg, HRB 16746, GF: Markus Rex > > -- > sane-devel mailing list: sane-devel at lists.alioth.debian.org > http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/sane-devel > Unsubscribe: Send mail with subject "unsubscribe your_password" > ? ? ? ? ? ?to sane-devel-request at lists.alioth.debian.org > -- "The truth is an offense, but not a sin"
