Subject: type inconsistencies
To: None <mycroft@ai.mit.edu>
From: Gordon W. Ross <gwr@mc.com>
List: tech-kern
Date: 03/09/1995 09:54:46
> Date: Thu, 9 Mar 1995 07:28:04 -0500
> From: "Charles M. Hannum" <mycroft@ai.mit.edu>

> Currently, the second argument of getlogin(2), gethostname(2),
> sethostname(2), getdomainname(2), and setdomainname(2) are `u_int's,
> the second argument of msync(2), munmap(2), mprotect(2), madvise(2),
> and mincore(2) are `int's.  In addition, all of the syscalls that use
> sockaddr lengths use `int' or `int *'.
> 
> I want to change all of these to use `size_t' rather than `int' or
> `u_int'.  I think this should be backward compatible in all cases,
> except possibly on the Alpha.
> 
> Are there any reasons I shouldn't do this?

Yes.  Check the POSIX 1003.1 spec. for the official prototypes for
mmap, munmap, mprotect, etc.  It might cause some hassles if the
spec. says int and we declare it as something else...

(I'd check for you, but my copy of 1003 has walked again...)

Gordon