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From: cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.programmer
Subject: Re: OT: Windows (Was: Re: Open Source does not mean easily
Date: Tue, 7 Jan 2025 15:35:44 -0000 (UTC)
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC
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In article <vljgbg$28o6f$1@dont-email.me>,  <Muttley@DastardlyHQ.org> wrote:
>On Tue, 7 Jan 2025 14:14:38 -0000 (UTC)
>cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) wibbled:
>>In article <vljcbk$27v6l$1@dont-email.me>,  <Muttley@DastardlyHQ.org> wrote:
>>>On Tue, 7 Jan 2025 13:18:54 -0000 (UTC)
>>>cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) wibbled:
>>>>In article <vlip2c$24ccb$1@dont-email.me>,  <Muttley@DastardlyHQ.org> wrote:
>>>>>On Mon, 06 Jan 2025 16:46:56 GMT
>>>>>ITYF it is VERY widely shared and having a signal safe API function is only
>>>>>step 2 - plenty of the functions in the program itself or 3rd party library
>>>>>functions are probably not re-entrant safe and even if they are, having
>>>>>code stomp over itself - eg if in the middle of writing a log message then
>>a 
>>>>>signal is generated which tried to write a log message itself - is a very
>>>>>poor way to write code.
>>>>
>>>>So don't write code that way.  It does not follow that the only
>>>>thing you can do in a signal handler is an some atomic flag
>>>>somewhere.
>>>
>>>Just because you can doesn't mean you should. C lets you do a lot of things
>>>that are a Bad Idea.
>>
>>I have to ask at this point: have you ever written a concurrent
>>program under Unix?  One that used signals?  For that matter,
>>have you ever written a program that used `fork()` and caught a
>>`SIGCHLD`?
>
>Is that supposed to be a serious question?

Yes.

>The only thing that should ever be done in a child exit handler is a wait*()
>or set a flag.

I think perhaps you should try to write some complex programs in
the Unix environment before making such categorial statement.

	- Dan C.