Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ncar!noao!asuvax!mcdphx!mcdchg!ddsw1!karl
From: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: v18i002:  Fido/Usenet gateway, Part01/05
Summary: Bad news; don't even bother if you're 95+% of System V machines.
Message-ID: <3082@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 7 Mar 89 17:13:20 GMT
References: <1534@papaya.bbn.com>
Reply-To: karl@ddsw1.UUCP (Karl Denninger)
Organization: Macro Computer Solutions, Inc., Mundelein, IL
Lines: 46

In article <1534@papaya.bbn.com> rsalz@uunet.uu.net (Rich Salz) writes:
>Submitted-by: Heikki Suonsivu <hsu@santra.hut.fi>
>Posting-number: Volume 18, Issue 1
>Archive-name: fnet/part01

This comment applies to all 5 parts, of course.

First, the Makefile distributed had SPACES instead of TABS separating the
rules.  Needless to say, that didn't work.  A quick substitution in vi fixed
that problem.

The more serious problems in the package as distributed are:
	o You must guess what "SEEK_END" and "SEEK_SET" are (not too
	  horrid); they're not defined ANYWHERE but are used!  This is just
	  plain sloppy coding.
	o There are several "automatic" definitions in the ".h" files that
	  don't work right, and cause the build to bomb.  Those have been
	  taken care of.
	o You must have the PD "ndir" sources online, and you must change 
	  several lines of code to accomodate them; the author apparently 
	  has a different implementation than the one that has been posted 
	  to the Usenet.
	o The Makefile has "LNFLAGS" defined where it is obviously supposed
	  to be "LDFLAGS"; again, not a major problem, but horridly sloppy!
	
	o (this is the killer) You must have an "alloca" function!

The last requirement blows the package out of the System V arena entirely;
"alloca" is not a System V function.  Yes, there are hacks out there for
some systems, but not all.  Xenix is one of the "not all" ones.

I'm concerned that this package got into "comp.sources.unix" without even 
so much as a "make".  It doesn't even come close to building as distributed,
and with the "alloca" requirement, it will never work on a majority of 
System V environments.

This code is NEITHER System V nor 4BSD at the moment, and will require MAJOR
work before it's usable by Usenet sites.  "Alpha" release doesn't even 
describe it in it's present state.

Alt.sources would have been a much more appropriate place to post this.

--
Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, ddsw1!karl)
Data: [+1 312 566-8912], Voice: [+1 312 566-8910]
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.    	"Quality solutions at a fair price"