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Date:      Wed, 30 Jan 2002 10:00:11 +0000
From:      Mark Murray <mark@grondar.za>
To:        Dallas De Atley <deatley@apple.com>, arch@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: __P macro question 
Message-ID:  <200201301000.g0UA0GE33997@greenpeace.grondar.org>
In-Reply-To: <3C57BED2.E1144F41@mindspring.com> ; from Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com>  "Wed, 30 Jan 2002 01:37:22 PST."
References:  <3C57BED2.E1144F41@mindspring.com> 

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Said Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com>:
> You mean like when I compile "grep" and other command line tools
> on my Amiga using Manx Aztec C, a K&R compiler?

Yes. Except with those ancient compilers, you use KNRify or deprotoize,
or one of a zillion tools to make ANSI code compliable on an antique
compiler.

> Or when I use Watcom to take some FreeBSD code for a POS system
> to do the same thing for DR-DOS, because GCC won't run there
> because it can't be compiled to use overlays?

See above.

> Really, if someone can't understand __P(), they should probably
> not be in the kernel, with all those "dangerous" linker sets
> and other less obvious code than __P()...

Non sequitur.

> > If the answer is "no", and I think it quite reasonably might be, then
> > we can move forward with at least one assumption and that's that __P()
> > can die in FreeBSD as something which merely obfuscates and renders
> > our code more unpleasant to the eye.
> 
> I think that portability of code between FreeBSD and OpenBSD
> and NetBSD is a concern, and I think increasing the diffs
> gratuitously between these systems is a Bad Idea(tm).

Read their commit messages some time. They are slowly ansifying.

> Also, as has already been raised, there is an issue of doing
> back-ports of the code to FreeBSD X.Y, where X.Y is and of
> the versions prior to the cosmetic make-over.

Doing it properly will reduce the impact of this.

> When NetBSD or OpenBSD gets new code (e.g. the SYN cache code
> or the ipfilter license-inspired replacement), it would be
> nice if porting the code would not require a human going
> through and deciding which differences are there because they
> need to be there, and which ones are there because of
> gratuitous cosmetic changes.

Terry - sooner or later a human has to look at the code to
figure out which changes are needed. It happens.

> > If you want my vote, and you get it whether that's the case or not, I
> > say we nuke __P() from orbit until it and the unlucky disk platters it
> > formerly rested on are reduced to a molten, bubbly, radioactive slag
> > with the merest hint of ferrous particles still coating the surface.
> 
> Can you get BSDI, NetBSD, and OpenBSD to go along with this?

NetBSD and OpenBSD are already there AFAICT. (Not finished, but doing it)

M
-- 
o       Mark Murray
\_      FreeBSD Services Limited
O.\_    Warning: this .sig is umop ap!sdn

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