Subject: Re: NULL pointer return values
To: None <tech-kern@netbsd.org>
From: Matthew Mondor <mmondor@gobot.ca>
List: tech-kern
Date: 04/22/2002 04:41:30
> Assuming that the bit pattern stored in a pointer storing a "null
> pointer" is all-bits-zero is incorrect. Assuming that "p = 0" sets p to
> a null pointer is explicitly sanctioned by the standard.
If on an arch which didn;t use 0 for a NULL pointer, and compiler allowed to internally assign NULL if we assign constant 0 to a pointer, how would one address memory at 0x000000000, unless using something like
long *ptr;
bset(&ptr, 0, sizeof(long *));
or
long *ptr = 0;
ptr -= ptr;
unless
long *ptr = 0x00000000;
is actually not considered constant 0