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From: batson@cg-atla.UUCP (Jay Batson X5927)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Free Software Foundation (was: Re: Mach, the new standard?)
Message-ID: <911@cg-atla.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 26-Sep-87 13:48:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: cg-atla.911
Posted: Sat Sep 26 13:48:22 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Sep-87 11:26:08 EDT
References: <1665@ncr-sd.SanDiego.NCR.COM> <8381@utzoo.UUCP> <233@hobbes.UUCP>
Reply-To: batson@cg-atla.UUCP (Jay Batson X5927)
Organization: Compugraphic Corp. Wilmington, MA
Lines: 50

In article <233@hobbes.UUCP> root@hobbes.UUCP (John Plocher) writes:
>> Most uses of fork() are immediately followed by an exec() call.
>
>When this came up last spring, someone (gwyn?) grep'd thru all the Unix
>source and found a grand total of TWO places where fork() was immediately
>followed by exec()!  All the others had dup()s, close()s, and setuid()s, etc
>stuck in between.  In the future, please try to ground your "facts" in
>something solid before making sweeping statements like that...

Well now, I don't myself usually get in the middle of other persons
arguments, but when a flamer is himself working from heresay, I take
exception.

In response to this accusation of John's, I did this:
	less `egrep -l /src/bin/*.c /src/ucb/*.c`
Not a completely extensive search, but a good sample.  The results are:
	Programs forking			Programs forking
	then (more or less) exec'ing		but NOT exec'ing
	(possibly conditionally)
------------------------------------- --------------------------------
cc					mail
du					wall
ed					leave
login					rsh
rmail
time
write
rcp
rlogin
sccs
script

Note that this search did in fact reveal that there is often SOME
code between fork and exec (not always), therefore somewhat validating
John.  However, from the point of view of doing UNIX/C coding for
a few years (I mean 5 isn't many, but more than some), I recall
the vast majority of programs that fork usually exec QUITE
quickly after the fork, and any processing done afterwards is often
just laziness (it could have been set up before the fork - flames to
/dev/null - I know there are times when you can't so setup...).

Therefore children, what is the lesson for today?  Heresay is dangerous....


Jay
_________________________________________________________________________
When I'm finally old enough to believe my opinions are sufficiently wise
and important for others to listen to, nobody will want to listen to "that
old fart...."