Re: [PATCH] Use spawn() in GNU Make on Cygwin, updated

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Paul Smith <address@hidden>
> Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 14:18:31 -0400
> Cc: address@hidden
> 
> > >So, the question is very simple: is it technically possible to ensure
> > >that the operations make takes today in the child between fork and exec
> > >can be handled properly in a spawn-based implementation?
> > 
> > This is, IMO, just a variation of the same question that Eli raised.
> 
> Perhaps: I haven't gone back and re-read the whole thread.  In any event
> I don't recall anyone (Pavel) specifically answering it.  That's what
> I'm waiting for: the results of an investigation as to what works and
> what doesn't, based on examination of the code rather than anecdotal
> evidence ("works for me").

I won't hold my breath to wait for such an investigation.  I certainly
won't conduct it, and I doubt Chris will.  Pavel, OTOH, claims that
using 'spawn' is exactly identical to fork/exec, and so considers such
an investigation unnecessary.

> > Presumably make works at least 99% correctly on Windows using spawn*().
> > I don't doubt at all that the patch actually works great with most uses
> > of make in Cygwin.  However, I would rather be 100% correct and slower
> > than 99% correct with head scratching corner case errors.
> 
> Exactly, hence the reason for my question.  I'm not interested in adding
> this if, when it's enabled, things don't work correctly.

IMO, if there's a way to make a program work correctly in 99.9% of use
cases and be much faster, it could well justify an option to turn on
that behavior, provided that the default is 100% correct.