Re: POSIX Semaphores

[Mouse <mouse%Rodents-Montreal.ORG@localhost>]

>> Like mouse@ I am unaware of what makes ksem mandatory, [...]
> Whatever is 'mandatory'.

Well, it was said to be...as jnemeth put it, it was "made unconditional
on the basis that it is essential".

> But if you use programs that require POSIX shared memory, you should
> also offer POSIX semaphores.

Perhaps - but, even if so, "offer" does not mean "mandate support for".

But what uses POSIX semaphores - or even shared memory - that is so
essential as to justify making it non-optional?  There are a lot of
other things which are pretty essential for most uses but which are
still optional, such as options INET, options FFS, and pseudo-device
pty, to name just three; I don't think "it's needed for many popular
uses of the system" is a good reason to make something impossible to
compile out.

> Popular programs using POSIX shared memory are X11 including clients

See above about popularity not being an excuse.  (I feel reasonably
sure more systems use ptys - or INET - than use X11.)

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