Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!amdcad!ames!vsi1!wyse!mips!sultra!dtynan
From: dtynan@sultra.UUCP (Der Tynan)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Minix/ST <stdio.h> problems.
Summary: Once more unto the breech...
Message-ID: <2616@sultra.UUCP>
Date: 5 Nov 88 02:56:15 GMT
References: <5181@louie.udel.EDU>
Organization: Tynan Computers, Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 48

In article <5181@louie.udel.EDU>, THELBEKK%NORUNIT.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu writes:
> With regard to portability problems:  It was mentioned that some pointer
> versus int assumptions had "been allowed to creep into" GNU CC.  This is
> nothing new to me...  I've had occasion to work with several programs
> by Stallman & Co, and while admitting freely that RMS is something of a
> genius, and FSF just what the doctor ordered, it seems that the assumtion
> that (sizeof(int) == sizeof(int *) == 32

Ok, for the benefit of those who may have missed earlier postings by me, on the
subject of GNU, I'm enclosing a small section from the GNU Programming
Standards Manual.  Note that this is not trying to tell us how to program in
C, but how to write code for the GNU project.  Perhaps this will finally clear
up the comments about FSF, and sixteen-bit machines...

	Portability standards:

	Much of what is called "portability" in the Unix world refers to
	porting to different Unix versions.  This is not relevant to GNU
	software, because its purpose is to run on top of one and only
	one kernel, the GNU kernel, compiled with one and only one C
	compiler, the GNU C compiler.  The amount and kinds of variation
	among GNU systems on different cpu's will be like the variation
	among Berkeley 4.3 systems on different cpu's.

			[Portions deleted for brevity]

	It remains necessary to worry about differences among cpu types, such
	as the difference in byte ordering and alignment restrictions.
	However, I don't expect 16-bit machines ever to be supported by GNU,
	so there is no point in spending any time to consider the possibility
	that an int will be less than 32 bits.

	You can assume that it is reasonable to use a meg of memory.  Don't
	strain to reduce memory usage unless it can get to that level.  If
	your program creates complicated data structures, just make them in
	core and give a fatal error if malloc returns zero.

Reprinted without permission.
I hope this dispells some of the myths about using GNU software on a PC.  It
*may* be possible now, but that doesn't mean that the *next* version will
fit in a 64K segment.  Of course, on the other hand, GNUUCP *will* work on a
PC (probably an oversight :-), and I hope to surface a MINIX version soon...
						- Der
-- 
	dtynan@Tynan.COM  (Dermot Tynan @ Tynan Computers)
	{apple,mips,pyramid,uunet}!zorba.Tynan.COM!dtynan

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