Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!sharkey!cfctech!kevin
From: kevin@cfctech.cfc.com (Kevin Darcy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: C compiler bugs on 386 and 3B2
Message-ID: <1990Sep21.224449.20599@cfctech.cfc.com>
Date: 21 Sep 90 22:44:49 GMT
References: <522@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US>
Reply-To: kevin@cfctech.cfc.com (Kevin Darcy)
Organization: Chrysler Financial Corporation, Southfield, MI.
Lines: 43

In article <522@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US> friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US (Steve Friedl) writes:
>Hi folks,
>
>     Two problems with the C compiler on the 386 (AT&T SVR3.2.1)
>and the 3B2 (SVR3.2).  First, try this as root from some subdirectory:
>
>	# cc foo.c -o ../bin
>
>where you *really* mean
>
>	# cc foo.c -o ../bin/foo
>
>It trashes the mentioned directory and requires an fsck to
>reattach the files previously found underneath.  Strictly
>speaking it's not a bug because it *did* do what I asked, but it
>is still unfriendly behavior.

I just tested this myself (3B2/1000 Model 80, 3.2.2), and... ZOWIE!! It's way 
beyond unfriendly! It breaks one of the "sacred" rules of Unix - no direct 
writes to (block-device, mounted) filesystem directories. This is one of the 
few things which is (usually) denied even to root. For instance,

(/bin/sh)

# cd /tmp
# mkdir if_you_dare
# >if_you_dare

yields

if_you_dare: cannot create

even to root. Errno 21 ("Is a directory") exists purely for this purpose. But 
somehow, ld bypasses the safeguards. Is ld writing on the raw device? Why??

I hope AT&T is listening...

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