Re: Re2: coreutils v5.2.1 - stat.c

[Paul Eggert]

ThMO <address@hidden> writes:

> · lib/getdate.y:
>   I'm using bison v1.28 - and for me it's unacceptable, that this grammar
>   can't be processed corrrectly with this older version,

You shouldn't need to process it at all, since getdate.c is present in
the source distribution.  Perhaps the time stamps on your files were
corrupted?

>   it should also be processed by stock berkeley yacc

But that wouldn't support reentrant parsers.  getdate needs to be
reentrant, for other projects.  It should not be a problem anyway;
you shouldn't need to run either Bison or Yacc.

>   BTW, is anyone able to guarantee me, that bison v2.0 has not even one
>   problem with processing older (and oldest - I'm using software packages
>   dated in the early 80's) grammar files?

Someone could guarantee you that, yes, if you paid them enough.  :-)

But the FSF isn't rich and can't afford to give out guarantees like
that.  "bison --version" clearly says "There is NO warranty; not even
for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE".

> · src/su.c:

This one tends to be so distribution-dependent that we're thinking of
dropping 'su' from coreutils.

> · --disable-nls:
>   IMHO there is no need, if I decide to configure *wihtout* NLS support,
>   which I usually do, to setup a specific locale,

--disable-nls affects only diagnostics and the like: it does not
disable all usages of locales.  For example, LC_CTYPE still affects
whether something is considered to be a letter.

>   the man-page should *always* reflect the various options, for which a
>   command was configured for

The dd man page has changed in the latest CVS version; perhaps the
point is moot now.  To be honest I didn't fully follow your comments.
"info coreutils dd" works on my host and that is what the man page suggests.

> · factor:
>   it's increddible - your factor command is *not* able to factorize negative
>   values

Patches would we welcome here.

>   only this command knowns nothing about the --help switch

Fixed in 5.3.0.

> · NEWS:
>   why is the above bug, which I reported, *not* listed within the NEWS file,
>   clearly stated as a fixed bug?

NEWS reports only important user-visible fixes.  I don't know which
bug you meant by "the above bug".  If we forgot to put a bugfix in
NEWS and it's important please tell it what it was.

> · fprintf, printf, fputs, fputc, putc, putchar:
>   I may be wrong, but I seem to remember me, that some time ago the GNU
>   conding style said something about *not* using each and every output
>   function...

I don't recall that as being a rule.  Certainly these functions are
all used in a lot of GNU code.

> · configure run:
>   this 1.7 MB fat configure file is checking for a M$windog system?

We'd like to make it smaller and faster, yes.  Contributions toward
that end would be welcome.  They should go to
address@hidden, since it's an Autoconf problem not a
coreutils problem.

> · performance of the dd command:
>   the execution speed of dd sucks heavily,

Can you give a specific example of the problem?  A shell transcript
would help.

Thanks again for your comments.  (Though we don't really need to know
about your sex life....)