Re: lynx-dev Compile error on i686/linux RH 6.2

[Duncan Simpson]

> It has other neat side effects (breaks makedepend in XFree86 for xterm ;-).
> 
> -- until they get around to fixing it, your workaround would be to 
> modify that ucontext.h file - change it to 'GLIBC_ERROR' I suppose...

>
Surely a better fix yould be for lync to #undef ERR in appropiate places. This 
is not an error if ERR is not defined and clobeers it if it is. To quote from 
page 523 of the POSIX programmers guide "applications should not declare any 
symbols that begin whit an E followed by an uppcase letter or digit".

ERR contravienes that stipulation and it could be lynx is doing something 
contrary to POSIX (just because it silently works almost everywhere does not 
mean it is within the POSIX rules). Using reserved names after #undefing them 
is allowed and safe (modulo the apps local header sbeing included after the 
system ones).
 
> -- probably wouldn't hurt to email the glibc maintainers, since the last
> email I saw on the topic indicated they weren't in a hurry to fix it.
>
They might be in a position to quote some standard and point the finger at 
lynx, makedpend and all the other code that the change breaks. As for breaking 
xfree86, I find the cpp in gcc 2.96 ideal (plus various other bugs in gcc 2.96 
create borken executables last time I looked, enough said).
-- 
Duncan (-:
"software industry, the: unique industry where selling substandard goods is
legal and you can charge extra for fixing the problems."