Subject: programs that use but link against
To: None <tech-userlevel@NetBSD.ORG>
From: J.T. Conklin <jconklin@netcom.com>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 02/27/1995 21:41:53
Today I discovered two more programs that use <regexp.h>, but don't
link with -lcompat to get the V8 regular expression functions.

I removed the V8 routines back when I originally integrated Henry
Spencer's POSIX regex routines.  Chris added them again shortly
thereafter to be compatible with 4.4BSD.  

I didn't disagree with that decision at the time, but I think time has
shown (as we've discovered programs that use <regexp.h> without linking
-lcompat) that being compatible with 4.4 has it's price.  In particular,
in this case I think the price is too high for a little used API.  If
this was BSD's traditional re_comp() and re_exec() regex API I would
probably feel differently.

Does anyone have any reason why we should keep the V8 regex routines?

	--jtc

P.S:	This time the programs are mount_portal and amd.  I haven't had
	time to	fix them to use the POSIX regex routines or send a PR.