Re: include file conflict

H. Peter Anvin (hpa@transmeta.com)
11 Nov 1998 02:24:54 GMT

Followup to: <199811101947.UAA15801@wsdw01.win.tue.nl>
By author: dwguest@win.tue.nl (Guest section DW)
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> Anyone who includes <linux/foo.h> will be punished for that.
>
> Unfortunately, glibc itself also includes some Linux header files.
> Fortunately, the amount of Linux headers involved in glibc includes
> diminishes quickly.
>
> For you, there are several options. An easy one is to have /usr/include/linux
> point at a kernel tree that has nothing to do with 2.1.125, but is one that
> works with glibc. After all, glibc cannot know what strange things kernel
> developers will think of, and kernel developers do not want to know all
> about glibc's needs. Take an old and trusted tree, a 2.0.* one that existed
> at the time this glibc was released, and there are good chances that it
> will work fine (unless of course you are compiling programs that need to
> use the latest features, and some handwork is required).
>

I think there are legitimate uses for the <linux/*.h> style headers,
even within glibc. For example <linux/auto_fs.h> contains the
communications protocol which the kernel uses to talk to the autofs
daemon.

However, kernel headers should use #ifdef __KERNEL__ for most things
and only export things that are truly needed in user space.

-hpa

-- 
    PGP: 2047/2A960705 BA 03 D3 2C 14 A8 A8 BD  1E DF FE 69 EE 35 BD 74
    See http://www.zytor.com/~hpa/ for web page and full PGP public key
        I am Bahá'í -- ask me about it or see http://www.bahai.org/
   "To love another person is to see the face of God." -- Les Misérables


-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/