Re: how to test HAVE_MALLOC

[Bob Friesenhahn]

On Fri, 5 Feb 2010, j.wuttke wrote:

> > Your use of the term "::malloc" makes it sound like this test is
> > somehow related to C++ rather than C.
>
> It's a C++ program, and the error occurs in

Is the problematic AC_FUNC_MALLOC macro being executed using the C or 
the C++ compiler?  It is surely designed to be used with a C compiler.

> #include <boost/format.hpp>
>
> So, deeply in boost (which I considered serious work up to now)
> some call to malloc() is made.

It is certainly a seriously large work. :-)

It is important to distinguish between availability of a C function in 
the standard C library, and how system header files prepared for C++ 
may allow that function to be namespace scoped in C++.  They are two 
different issues.  AC_FUNC_MALLOC is intended to test for the 
availability of the malloc() function in the standard C library 
("libc") using the C compiler.

If the proper prototype for malloc is not present when the test is 
performed, then a C++ compiler may assume C++ binding for that 
function rather than C binding, and be looking for a different 
(scrambled) function name than 'malloc'.

Bob
--
Bob Friesenhahn
address@hidden, http://www.simplesystems.org/users/bfriesen/
GraphicsMagick Maintainer,    http://www.GraphicsMagick.org/