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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!cwruecmp!chet
From: chet@cwruecmp.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: asld bug?
Message-ID: <2222@cwruecmp.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 13-Aug-87 19:46:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: cwruecmp.2222
Posted: Thu Aug 13 19:46:41 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Aug-87 16:06:18 EDT
References: <1237@cognos.UUCP>
Reply-To: chet@cwru.EDU (Chet Ramey)
Organization: CWRU Dept. of Computer Engineering, Cleveland, Ohio
Lines: 32

In article <1237@cognos.UUCP> brianc@cognos.uucp (Brian Campbell) writes:
>And while I'm here  ... I thought  sprintf() was
>supposed to return the number of characters copied... not the address of
>the buffer.

With BSD systems (at least on the VAX), sprintf() returns a pointer to
the buffer because it's "too painful to do right", which, I assume,
means returning the number of characters copied into the buffer.  I
think Sys V systems return the number of characters.

I assume this is because V7 had sprintf() return a pointer to the buffer,
and BSD followed that.  Now that there is so much BSD kernel (and other)
code, at least on the VAX, that depends upon or assumes that sprintf()
returns a pointer, it's too tough to follow AT&T's lead and return the
number of characters copied.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
chet%cat /usr/include/stdio.h
	.
	.
#ifdef vax
char	*sprintf();		/* too painful to do right */
#endif
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chet Ramey

Internet:  chet@cwru.edu
UUCP:     {...}!cbosgd!cwruecmp!chet
BITNET:   ramey%cwru20@cu20b

He was a sharp guy...He lived on the edge of town...