Re: [GNU Autoconf 2.72e] testsuite: 11 119 261 failed on Solaris 11.4 x86

[Paul Eggert]

On 2023-12-21 13:19, Zack Weinberg wrote:

> Sorry, I'm with GNU here: failure to report errors on writing to stdout
> is a bug.  No excuses will be accepted.

Agreed. printf commands that silently succeed when they can't do the 
requested action are simply broken.

Even if one is not convinced by GNU's good-citizen example, POSIX 
requires printf to fail with a diagnostic in this situation. Here's 
chapter and verse:

https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799.2018edition/utilities/printf.html#tag_20_94_15

says "CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS" are "Default", and

https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799.2018edition/utilities/V3_chap01.html#tag_17_04

says that utilities must issue a diagnostic on stderr and exit with 
nonzero status when they cannot do the requested action.