Re: [PATCH v2 0/2] vfs: Define new syscall getumask.

[H. Peter Anvin]

On 04/13/16 19:13, Theodore Ts'o wrote:
> 
> One other reason to suggest using a /proc file is that you're not at
> the mercy of the glibc folks to wire up a new system call.  (Glibc has
> been refusing to wire up getrandom(2), for example.   Grrrr.....)
> 

This brings right back up the libinux idea.  There are continued
concerns about type compatibility, but saying "oh, use syscall(3)
instead" has worse properties than a Linux-kernel-team maintained
libinux.  Last I heard the glibc team had (reluctantly?) agreed to do
something to deal with linux-specific system calls, but last I heard
nothing had happened.  The last discussion I see on the glibc mailing
list dates back to November, and that thread seems to have died from
bikeshedding, again.

There aren't a *lot* of such system calls, but even in that thread the
"oh, only two applications need this, let them use syscall(3)" seems to
remain.

	-hpa