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Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 15:30:02 -0800 (PST)
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From: Bruce Evans <bde@zeta.org.au>
Subject: Re: docs/3047 & cvs commit: src/lib/libc/sys sigaction.2
Reply-To: Bruce Evans <bde@zeta.org.au>
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The following reply was made to PR docs/3047; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Bruce Evans <bde@zeta.org.au>
To: fenner@parc.xerox.com, mpp@freefall.freebsd.org
Cc: cvs-all@freefall.freebsd.org, CVS-committers@freefall.freebsd.org,
        cvs-lib@freefall.freebsd.org, freebsd-gnats-submit@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: docs/3047 & cvs commit: src/lib/libc/sys sigaction.2
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 10:27:23 +1100

 >silently blocks SIGKILL [and] SIGSTOP".  The real meaning (and an
 >alternative reading of the same sentence) is "the system silently
 >ignores attempts to block SIGKILL or SIGSTOP"; I just wanted to make
 >that sentence less ambiguous.
 
 Actually, it means "the system silently ignores attempts to set the
 SIGKILL and SIGSTOP bits in [the kernel's copy of] the signal mask.
 [This is different from setting the bits and ignoring them when a
 SIGKILL or SIGSTOP arrives, since the application can tell the difference
 by reading the kernel's copy of the signal mask.  The copy of the mask
 for the first sigaction call is of course unaffected, since it is const.]
 
 >(While writing my test program to make absolutely sure, I noticed that the
 >first line should probably read "The mask specified in the sa_mask field"
 >or something similar, too...)
 
 Yes.  POSIX says this better.
 
 Bruce