Re: On pw_dup(3), and development in general (was: Re: CVS commit: src/lib/libc)

[Klaus Klein <kleink%reziprozitaet.de@localhost>]

"Perry E. Metzger" <perry%piermont.com@localhost> writes:

> Jaromir Dolecek <jdolecek%NetBSD.org@localhost> writes:
>> I have the same impression and fully agree with Klaus. Please, let's
>> move pw_dup(3) to libutil NOW. I see no reason to include in libc such
>> rarely used utility function. Once the reentrancy/thread-safety
>> changes would be in, you'd just use suitable getpwFOO_r() instead.
>> 
>> Please don't add new stuff to libc, unless it's clearly vital
>> functionality which can't be elsewhere.
>
> Libutil is not intended for things like this at all -- it is for
> things like login handling, pty hacking, etc. People keep throwing the
> wrong sorts of things into libutil and it gets rather annoying.

I see your point.  However, pw_dup(3) was supposed to support BSD auth
integration (which was to end up in libutil, and where it belongs
according to your reasoning), and as a supporting interface it seemed
to be suited there much better; I expect general use (outside the
domain of system-wide authentication management and the like), which
is was libc is for, to be negligible.

All other sorts of things being thrown into libc gets even more
annoying.  (Reasons for not having pw_dup(3) in libc have been
mentioned previously.)



- Klaus