cvs commit: src/include string.h src/lib/libc/string Makefile.inc memchr.3 memrchr.c src/sys/sys param.h

[Maxim Sobolev]

Erik Trulsson wrote:
> On Tue, May 27, 2008 at 02:41:06PM -0700, Maxim Sobolev wrote:
>> Xin LI wrote:
>>> delphij     2008-05-27 20:04:27 UTC
>>>
>>>   FreeBSD src repository
>>>
>>>   Modified files:        (Branch: RELENG_6)
>>>     include              string.h 
>>>     lib/libc/string      Makefile.inc memchr.3 
>>>     sys/sys              param.h 
>>>   Added files:           (Branch: RELENG_6)
>>>     lib/libc/string      memrchr.c 
>>>   Log:
>>>   MFC: Add memrchr(3).
>> I think this is not very good idea to MFC that into stable releases 6.x 
>> and 7.x. The reason is that configure scripts for some packages might 
>> detect up this API and enable it. Which means that some binary-only 
>> packages build for say 6.4 won't work on 6.3 and down. AFAIK, both 
>> forward and backward compatibility is required (or at least desired?) 
>> for stable branches.
> 
> No, it isn't.  Backwards compatibility (in the sense that stuff that worked
> on 6.x should still work on 6.x+1) is largely required unless there is
> some very good reason to break compatibility (such very good reasons are
> quite rare.)

Which reasons are they specifically? I can't think of any. The memrchr() 
is not something mandated by the C90 and/or POSIX/SUS. Any software that 
is portable should be able to live without it.

-Maxim