Re: Internal question

From: Bernhard Reiter <bernhard_at_uwm.edu_at_hypermail-project.org>
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 11:50:43 -0600
Message-ID: <19991129115043.B24307_at_alpha1.csd.uwm.edu>

On Sun, Nov 28, 1999 at 08:45:14PM -0600, Kent Landfield wrote:
> # Consider this codesnipplet from src/print.c :
> # | void writedates(char *dir, char *label, int amountmsgs)
> # | {
> # | char filename[MAXFILELEN];
> # | sprintf(filename, "%s%s%s", dir,
> # | (dir[strlen(dir) - 1] == '/') ? "" : "/", datename);

> # a) What is the string pointer "label" used for?
> # It does not occur in the following code of the function.
>
> It is a left over from the move to set_* variables used everywhere.
> Inconsistencies were in all the write* routines called in hypermail.c
> I removed the unneeded parameters and baselined it.

Good. That's how it looked, but I am always very careful, because global variables are used.

> # What protects the "filename" buffer from being overrun?
> # Except that other limits on "dir" and "datename" might warranty it,
> # this kind of code just makes me nervous. :)
>
> Good question. I'll look into it tomorrow and see if msprintf can
> be used instead. This seems to be the case in all the write* routines,
> not just writedates().

Actually I think that sprintf might already be a macro for msprintf(), I didn't check that of course. Look in mprintf.h and check if it is actually used.

> # c) I know that mprintf seems to be used. The mprintf.h file seems
> # to be covered under the MPL v1.0. There is a MPL v1.1.
> # Is this all okay with the GPL which some of the rest of hypermail is
> # licensed or do you have seperate mprintf from the program?
>
> This is a question that will take some research as I do not have a
> copy of both in front of me.

The link in mprintf.h will take your to the MPL. The GPL is available from www.gnu.org.

> Some of this is also up to Daniel as
> he was the one that put MPL on his submitted code. For that matter
> I'm not too happy with GPL but that was inherited from HP.

I am all in favour of the GPL.
Really. As far as I know the MPL (at least the new version) might allow that code is included in other projects.

Read
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/netscape-npl.html (carefully, they also talk about the NPL and I am not sure if they considered the MPL 1.1 for this text.)

> Maybe when
> we have replaced all the code inherited from the original 1.02 we
> can decide which fits the hypermail distribution better. ;-)

Please leave it GPL. In my view it is the best free software license. (My personal opinion, mainly I discuss it on gnu.misc.discuss.)

> # As for the new hypermail release, my comments made a couple of month
> # ago still hold and I submitted a couple of replacements for the ugly
> # make process in the archive subdirectory. They are based on gmake right
> # now, but I would distribute them anyway as alternative.
>
> This was reworked entirely this weekend and I'm testing it now. If things
> go as I hope then archive changes will be a part of the new release.
Great, is it in the CVS?
(Because I didn't see it there yesterday.)

So I hope that my former patches are all addressed. That's good.

Cheers,

        Bernhard

-- 
Research Assistant, Geog Dept UM-Milwaukee, USA.  (www.uwm.edu/~bernhard)
Free Software Projects and Consulting 		         (intevation.net)  
Association for a Free Informational Infrastructure            (ffii.org)






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Received on Mon 29 Nov 1999 08:18:23 PM GMT