Re: lib/39215: getdevmajor()/major() types don't match

[christos%zoulas.com@localhost (Christos Zoulas)]

The following reply was made to PR lib/39215; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: christos%zoulas.com@localhost (Christos Zoulas)
To: gnats-bugs%NetBSD.org@localhost, lib-bug-people%netbsd.org@localhost, 
        gnats-admin%netbsd.org@localhost, netbsd-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost, 
        dholland%eecs.harvard.edu@localhost
Cc: 
Subject: Re: lib/39215: getdevmajor()/major() types don't match
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:08:49 -0400

 On Aug 1,  1:10pm, M.Drochner%fz-juelich.de@localhost (Matthias Drochner) 
wrote:
 -- Subject: Re: lib/39215: getdevmajor()/major() types don't match
 
 | The following reply was made to PR lib/39215; it has been noted by GNATS.
 | 
 | From: Matthias Drochner <M.Drochner%fz-juelich.de@localhost>
 | To: christos%zoulas.com@localhost (Christos Zoulas)
 | Cc: gnats-bugs%NetBSD.org@localhost, lib-bug-people%NetBSD.org@localhost,
 |      gnats-admin%NetBSD.org@localhost, netbsd-bugs%NetBSD.org@localhost
 | Subject: Re: lib/39215: getdevmajor()/major() types don't match 
 | Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:04:56 +0200
 | 
 |  christos%zoulas.com@localhost said:
 |  > Unless you assume that the major fits in 31 bits.
 |  
 |  Wouldn't that be reasonable? Forcing 32-bit CPUs
 |  to do quad arithmetics on devsw lookups etc would
 |  be a bit wasteful...
 
 No, it wouldn't be unreasonable. I just think that libc interfaces
 should use typed return values as opposed to plain integral types
 where appropriate, and constant defines to indicate exceptional
 conditions. So I prefer to have:
 
     dev_t getdevmajor(const char *name, mode_t mode);
 
     if ((dev = getdevmajor("foo", S_IFCHR)) == NODEV)
 
 as opposed to:
 
     int getdevmajor(const char *name, mode_t mode);
 
     if ((dev = getdevmajor("foo", S_IFCHR)) == -1)
 
 christos