Re: module suggestion: realpath

[Sam Steingold]

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Bruno Haible wrote:
> Sam Steingold wrote:
>> CLISP comes with a replacement realpath implementation for platforms
>> which lacks it (are there still such platforms?).
> 
> If someone provides a correct implementation of realpath for gnulib, we will
> accept it. But it's better to use canonicalize_file_name(), because
> 
>   - realpath does not have size limitation and associated troubles. Citing the
>     Linux manpage:
> 
>     BUGS
>        Avoid using this function. It is broken by design since it
>        is  impossible to determine a suitable size for the output
>        buffer, resolved_path.  According to  POSIX  a  buffer  of
>        size PATH_MAX suffices, but PATH_MAX need not be a defined
>        constant, and may have to be  obtained  using  pathconf().
>        And  asking  pathconf() does not really help, since on the
>        one hand POSIX warns that the result of pathconf() may  be
>        huge and unsuitable for mallocing memory. And on the other
>        hand pathconf() may return -1 to signify that PATH_MAX  is
>        not bounded.

this is equally applicable to any function what relies on
PATH_MAX,e.g., getcwd.
pretty soon every user of gnulib will be distributing a full glibc with
his package.
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