linux-kernel - Re: Official Linux system wrapper library?

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Message-ID: <20181112143506.GC7377@thunk.org>
Date:   Mon, 12 Nov 2018 09:35:06 -0500
From:   "Theodore Y. Ts'o" <tytso@....edu>
To:     Szabolcs Nagy <Szabolcs.Nagy@....com>
Cc:     Daniel Colascione <dancol@...gle.com>,
        Florian Weimer <fweimer@...hat.com>, nd <nd@....com>,
        "Michael Kerrisk (man-pages)" <mtk.manpages@...il.com>,
        linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Joel Fernandes <joelaf@...gle.com>,
        Linux API <linux-api@...r.kernel.org>,
        Willy Tarreau <w@....eu>, Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@...e.cz>,
        Carlos O'Donell <carlos@...hat.com>,
        "libc-alpha@...rceware.org" <libc-alpha@...rceware.org>
Subject: Re: Official Linux system wrapper library?

On Mon, Nov 12, 2018 at 12:45:26PM +0000, Szabolcs Nagy wrote:
> >> A lot of the new system calls lack clear specifications or are just
> >> somewhat misdesigned.  For example, pkey_alloc
> > [snip]
> >> getrandom still causes boot delays

I'll note that what some people consider misdesigns, others consider
"fix CVE's".

Some people may consider it more important to avoid boot delays;
others would consider internet-wide security problems, ala
https://factorable.net to be higher priority.

It's clear this is one area where I and some glibc developers have had
a difference of opinion.  The bigger problem is that if a single glibc
developer is able to veto any new system call, maybe we *do* need to
have a kernel-provided library which bypasses glibc....

						- Ted