Re: [bug-gnulib] Incomplete getaddrinfo module

[Derek Price]

Yoann Vandoorselaere wrote:

>>>  if (hints && (hints->ai_flags & ~AI_CANONNAME))
>>>    /* FIXME: Support more flags. */
>>>    return EAI_BADFLAGS;
>>>      
>>>
>>If you say which flags your application needs to work, maybe Simon can
>>do something about it?
>>    
>>
>
>For my own use, I simply remove this check. This is due to the use of
>AI_PASSIVE or AI_ADDRCONFIG, which can not easily be implemented without
>very specific support.
>  
>

I don't like the idea of silently ignoring flags that are not
implemented to POSIX specifications.  At the least, any ignored flags
that make it into the GNULIB module deserve a healthy comment about any
potential dangers and why it was deemed worthwhile to ignore the flag
rather than adding an implementation up to POSIX specs.

>>>This is not right since it tend to break application that trust the
>>>GnuLib module to provide a viable getaddrinfo replacement.
>>>      
>>>
>>I agree. If we provide a function in gnulib, it should attempt to be an as
>>complete replacement for the standard one as possible.
>>    
>>

As long as, "possible," means that someone has submitted a patch
containing proposed enhancements and not that function replacements
without a full POSIX implementation need to be backed out, though I
agree that incomplete implementations may deserve a note about their
incompleteness in the docs.

As things stand, the GNULIB getaddrinfo provides enough functionality,
at the least, for CVS, canon-host as used by coreutils, and I believe
one of Simon's applications (please forgive me for forgetting where you
have this installed, Simon).  These applications simply don't request
the information that is not available from the GNULIB getaddrinfo, not
because it isn't implemented, but because the applications have no need,
I presume.  I know that this is true in the case of CVS.

Regards,

Derek

-- 
Derek R. Price
CVS Solutions Architect
Ximbiot <http://ximbiot.com>
v: +1 717.579.6168
f: +1 717.234.3125
<mailto:address@hidden>