Subject: Re: ftruncate & truncate prototypes &
To: None <tech-userlevel@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Raul Miller <rdr@legislate.com>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 04/19/1995 11:48:00
Ken Hornstein:
   > Adding a prototype for truncate() to sys/types.h might make it
   > easier for newbie users to port some of their favorite software
   > packages, and I think that would be a good thing.  I also can't
   > see how it would hurt (other than make the include files slightly
   > less maintainable).

Greg Woods:
   In strict software engineering terms, making things easy by making
   them "wrong" is in itself wrong, as it also makes the application
   less maintainable, never mind the system's header files.

Of course, the question is "what is right/wrong?" not "is right better
than wrong?"

In this case (the mapping between include files, library routines, and
documentation), the only real issue seems to be one of standards and
comprehensibility.  In this case, existing practice must count as a
standard.

-- 
Raul D. Miller