Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 10:36:41 -0500 From: "Jacques A. Vidrine" <nectar@FreeBSD.org> To: Harti Brandt <brandt@fokus.fraunhofer.de> Cc: freebsd-arch@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Re: `Hiding' libc symbols Message-ID: <20030506153641.GI77708@madman.celabo.org> In-Reply-To: <20030506112711.K838@beagle.fokus.fraunhofer.de> References: <20030501182820.GA53641@madman.celabo.org> <XFMail.20030501144502.jhb@FreeBSD.org> <20030505110601.H53365@beagle.fokus.fraunhofer.de> <20030505175426.GA19352@madman.celabo.org> <20030506093754.B838@beagle.fokus.fraunhofer.de> <20030506092519.GA3158@cirb503493.alcatel.com.au> <20030506112711.K838@beagle.fokus.fraunhofer.de>
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On Tue, May 06, 2003 at 11:43:13AM +0200, Harti Brandt wrote: > To say it otherwise: I think hiding names that are not in Posix/Ansi is a > good thing, because we must assume, that applications have functions with > the same names doing entirely different things. Hiding names that are not > standardized functions, but are in the standard or implementation > namespace is probably a good thing to do too. Hiding functions that are in > the standards is a bad thing. If applications use these names, we should > assume that the function does at least what the standard requires. If not > the application is broken and must be fixed. Otherwise we will break an > unknown number of applications. We _already_ hide many POSIX/ANSI names, without any ill effects or portability consequences. Please understand the issues before posting. Since I set $SUBJECT, I will re-state what I meant by `hiding' libc symbols. I was specifically referring to the namespace.h/weak symbol method which we have been using for over 100 functions in libc for years. That is: Renaming the internal implementation of `foo' to `_foo', and creating a weak symbol alias with the original name (`foo'). Within libc, use the `_foo' name when the semantics must be known (e.g. when the behavior must not be overridden by an application accidently, i.e. almost always). Macros in `namespace.h' help the compiler with prototypes etc. Cheers, -- Jacques Vidrine . NTT/Verio SME . FreeBSD UNIX . Heimdal nectar@celabo.org . jvidrine@verio.net . nectar@freebsd.org . nectar@kth.se
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