Subject: Re: port-xen/29887: sysctl kern.consdev coredumps
To: YAMAMOTO Takashi <yamt@mwd.biglobe.ne.jp>
From: Christos Zoulas <christos@zoulas.com>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 06/16/2005 12:05:08
On Jun 17, 12:56am, yamt@mwd.biglobe.ne.jp (YAMAMOTO Takashi) wrote:
-- Subject: Re: port-xen/29887: sysctl kern.consdev coredumps

| if no one objects, i will:
| 
| 	- add some note to printf(3) to discourage the use of "(null)".
| 	- remove code to produce the "(null)" from wprintf and friends.

This has been historical practice since the mid 80's. People expect *printf(3)
to print (null) when you pass it a null string. It is a lot better to print
(null) than to core-dump... Trust me, I remember how it was back then.

| 	- and disable the optimization in in-tree gcc.

This will just muddle the waters even further. Imagine when a poor
sod compiles a new version of gcc and some code randomly core-dumps
with the new gcc where it works with the in-tree gcc. I.e. "Our"
gcc will be different than the rest of the world. I may disagree
with the optimization, but this is the de-facto gcc behavior.

In short, I oppose all three changes. I still think that changing
puts and fputs to behave like printf() is a saner choice. I would
prefer if core voted for it, and since I am in core, I will abstain
from this one.

christos