Re: OFFTOPIC: e2fsprogs and +2Gb partitions

Alan Cox (alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk)
Sat, 13 Jun 1998 16:04:50 +0100 (BST)


> > You are without a doubt wrong to have not included as close to full
> > libc5 compatibility for -D_LINUX_SOURCE.
>
> Following this path would for ever manifested that software written on
> Linux is not portable. This always was wrong, all the hacks necessary
> to run software written are damaging. You certainly don't want to
> tell me that living with -D_LINUX_SOURCE is better than living without
> -D_LINUX_SOURCE after a phase of adaption, do you?

Why not. How is that different from _BSD_SOURCE, _POSIX_SOURCE etc. The
_blah_source exists because unlike you the standards committees are
aware of the cost of updating and maintaining software as well as the fact
that other standards do not always fully represent the capabilities of
the system itself.

Where for example do you fit Linux facilities like the SO_FILTER socket option
into your grand plan of standards. It has to be Linux specific code because
nobody else has borrowed our great plan yet.

The fact I can't take a random libc5 program and compile it with
-D_LINUX_SOURCE on the Linux OS with glibc is a flaw in glibc, probably one
of the biggest and most damaging flaws in glibc. Sure they day I have to port
that program off Linux I need to resolve things, but until then glibc is
costing people real time and money with a selective, poorly considered and
I feel misguided attitude to standards.

Alan

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