Re: Working on stuff / statement from tschwinge (was: Gnumach clean: Need advice, re Header files)

[Thomas Bushnell BSG]

I think Roland's email was a little over-hasty, to be sure.  Let's just
not fret about one message that was over-hasty and import too much to
it, ok?

As for the technical issue, Roland is mostly but not entirely right
about what gnumach/include is for.

It has both the interface files, and pseudo-clones of C library headers,
which don't get installed because the C library has better versions.  In
that category are <sys/types.h>, <sys/time.h>, <sys/reboot.h>,
<sys/ioctl.h>, <mach/mig_support.h>, <mach/mach_traps.h>,
<mach/error.h>, and <alloca.h>, by my count.

By putting such headers in gnumach/include, the relevant kernel code is
easier to understand, because the user will expect that the file named
<alloca.h> or <sys/types.h> does more or less what the normal C library
file does, and calling those <kern/alloca.h> or <kern/types.h> would
make the reader have to wonder or remember what they are.

It would not be inappropriate to put <string.h> there too, since it
serves the same sort of function.  However, <printf.h> does not belong
there, and belongs in whichever directory holds the relevant functions.

Thomas

signature.asc
Description: This is a digitally signed message part