Re: [avr-libc-dev] [bug #36921] util/delay.h uses inline...

[Joerg Wunsch]

As David Brown wrote:

> There would have to be a range of warning options (perhaps as 
> sub-options to -Wmisra), since you don't always want to follow all MISRA 
> rules.

Just issuing an appropriate warning ought to be enough for the
compiler: it's the decision of the developer whether a particular
warning is then obeyed or not.  (That's what MISRA calls a "Deviation
Procedure".)

> However, there may 
> be copyright issues - you can't freely copy the rule numbers and 
> information from the MISRA documents into gcc.  You probably can't even 
> use the name "MISRA".  Someone would have to get permission from MISRA 
> to be able to make these warnings, and I have no idea how strict MISRA 
> are on these issues.

Well, rule numbers could hardly be copyrighted :), so just issuing a
rule number that is violated would be the safest path: anyone who
wants to make heads or tails out of that then has to obtain a copy of
MISRA (which he likely has to anyway if he wants to produce a
compliant product).

MISRA itself is a registered trademark, so it has to be attributed as
such.

I think other compilers indeed reproduce the rule text as well.
Whether this is allowable or not, has to be clarified with the MISRA
folks, of course.  I could imagine having their rules being recognized
by a popular tool like GCC could be seen as a Good Thing by them.

But obviously, there's no point to start such enquiries unless someone
is really interested in adding this to GCC (in the long run).

> The way I see it, MISRA rules can be divided into three groups.  Half of 
> them are so obvious that no serious programmer would need to be told 
> them.  Half of them are good ideas.  And half of them are directly bad, 
> as they lead to messy and hard-to-read code.

Agreed.

-- 
cheers, J"org               .-.-.   --... ...--   -.. .  DL8DTL

http://www.sax.de/~joerg/                        NIC: JW11-RIPE
Never trust an operating system you don't have sources for. ;-)