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From: chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Shutting lint up about malloc (missing /*NOSTRICT*/)
Message-ID: <6735@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 18-May-87 14:41:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: mimsy.6735
Posted: Mon May 18 14:41:22 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 19-May-87 04:55:51 EDT
References: <61@amanue.UUCP> <1994@a.cs.okstate.edu>
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 41

>in article <61@amanue.UUCP> jr@amanue.UUCP (Jim Rosenberg) says:
>>... I can't get lint on my system to shut up about malloc. ...
>>   /*NOSTRICT*/
>>   if ((p = (struct foo*) malloc(sizeof(struct foo))) == NULL) {

In article <1994@a.cs.okstate.edu> gregg@a.cs.okstate.edu (Gregg
Wonderly) writes:
>Try making this
>    if ((p = (struct foo*) malloc(sizeof(struct foo))) == (struct foo *)NULL) {
>Comparing a structure pointer (namely p) against NULL (sometimes declared as
>((char *)0) is probably biting you.

Nope.  If NULL has been defined as `(char *)0', it is wrong and should
be changed (to just `0'), but lint will still complain.

Jim Rosenberg was on target with his `strings' on lint.  He noted that
this unearthed (unoxided?) `VARARGS' and `ARGSUSED' and `NOTREACHED',
but not `NOSTRICT'.  Why?  Because it is *not* *there*.

NOSTRICT is documented but not implemented in most `lint's.  I have
used two different tactics:

	${LINT} ${LINTFLAGS} ${SOURCES} | \
	grep -v 'possible pointer alignment problem'

and

	#ifdef lint
		{ static struct foo oof; p = &oof; }
	#else
		p = (struct foo *) malloc(sizeof (struct foo));
	#endif
		if (p == NULL)
			...

Neither is pretty; nor, for that matter, is /*NOSTRICT*/.  The
proper solution is to convince lint that pointers returned by malloc
are properly aligned for all data types.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7690)
Domain:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu	Path:	seismo!mimsy!chris