Re: [bug-inetutils] [PATCH] syslogd: Dereferencing NULL.

[Mats Erik Andersson]

onsdag den 11 maj 2011 klockan 13:10 skrev Mats Erik Andersson detta:
> Dear all,
> 
> I have discovered a NULL pointer leading to segmentation fault.
> The rescue has been verified on GNU/Linux and OpenBSD.

What does it take to get a bug mended in this software project?
The present patch needs six new lines to remove a segmentation fault.
The changes are also needed for quality insurance before the relevant
code gets replaced by chunks that are able to do IPv4 as well as IPv6.
The present corrections must be implemented before this latter change
-- which is being stalled while the bug is not acted upon -- otherwise
the users of GNU Inetutils will have a much harder time to trace errors
in earlier releases, once the bug itself is smeared by code base change.

It is hard to avoid the impression that only I personally care about
the present project state. At this point in time 'logger' and 'ftp'
are contemporary, but 'syslogd' and 'ftpd' are probably more outdated
than you would like to think. These are only two examples that come
to my mind. I find it very discouraging and troublesome to see the
severe delay with which my code manipulations are received. Should
my contribution be of inferior quality, then do say so in order that
I might stop investing time in futile efforts to convince you of changes
that seem desireable to achieve a contemporary software.

Best regards,
  Mats E A