linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] headers_check.pl: disallow extern's

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <20090102160525.430c59f9@infradead.org>
Date:	Fri, 2 Jan 2009 16:05:25 -0800
From:	Arjan van de Ven <arjan@...radead.org>
To:	Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>
Cc:	Mike Frysinger <vapier@...too.org>,
	Sam Ravnborg <sam@...nborg.org>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] headers_check.pl: disallow extern's

On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 00:59:18 +0100
Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de> wrote:

> On Wednesday 31 December 2008, Mike Frysinger wrote:
> > On Wednesday 31 December 2008 11:58:03 Arnd Bergmann wrote:
> >
> > > Not sure if we can detect the other form reliably from perl.
> > 
> > yes, i already mentioned both of these issues.  that's why i
> > suggested we start adding "extern" to all the headers (or at least
> > the userspace ones).
> 
> The general trend seems to be to remove the "extern" keyword from
> kernel headers, because it is not interpreted, just like the 'auto'
> keyword. In fact, only few of them currently carry the extern keyword:
> 
> $ ctags -f- -R --c-kinds=p obj/usr/include/  | grep extern | wc -l
> 33
> 
> $ ctags -f- -R --c-kinds=p obj/usr/include/  | grep -v extern | wc -l
> 191
> 
> Note that this is a completely separate issue from extern variable
> declarations, which should to be disallowed in any case, and are easy
> to detect as they always require the extern keyword.

in addition... what business does the kernel have to provide function
prototypes to userspace, other than the system call prototypes?


-- 
Arjan van de Ven 	Intel Open Source Technology Centre
For development, discussion and tips for power savings, 
visit http://www.lesswatts.org
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/