BTW, I'm saying that the idea of creating the VOTE image was yours, just
saying you commented we need to have a vote for that PR that disables
signals. ;-)

BR,

Alan

On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 5:13 PM Alan C. Assis <[email protected]> wrote:

> Mateusz,
>
> Since the idea of voting came from you in the first place, could you
> please start a separate thread to DISCUSS it? :-)
>
> BR,
>
> Alan
>
> On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 5:03 PM raiden00pl <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> It's become quite a mess here, starting with the thread titled VOTE
>> without DISCUSSION :) The title also suggests that the lack of
>> POSIX compliance in NuttX is something new, which is not true.
>>
>> We've touched two separate topics here that I think deserve
>> their own separate discussion. The first topic: should we introduce
>> an option to disable signal support, similar to how we currently
>> disable pthreads or POSIX timers? Both options are not
>> POSIX-compliant, but are useful for small systems and they
>> have been in NuttX for a long time.
>>
>> The second topic is support for POSIX subprofiles (like PSE51),
>> but this is the topic for later.
>>
>> czw., 20 lis 2025 o 20:53 Tomek CEDRO <[email protected]> napisał(a):
>>
>> > Alan, Raiden, what is the exact proposition here being voted?
>> > One sentence that can be answered yes or no.
>> >
>> > It looks like a proposition to make NuttX "NOT POSIX Compliant".
>> > This violates fundamental architecutral concept and inviolables of
>> NuttX.
>> > Thus my answer is NO.
>> >
>> > Implication of answering yes here is enabling mess in the long term.
>> > Because vote is not well defined, undocumented, with no examples or
>> > prototypes, anything that is on purpose not POSIX compliant could
>> > legally become part of NuttX making if purposefully non-posix
>> > compliant which violates its founding principle, and all this could be
>> > attributed to this vote.
>> >
>> > As a BSD Unix user on my desktop I understand that pretty well, NuttX
>> > has BSD Unix roots too and I love it!
>> > I will not tell anything about other OR/RTOS except they may not care
>> > about self-compatibility and standards a lot, and people have choice
>> > what to use or what to avoid.
>> >
>> > If anyone wants to trim down their firmware image removing all sorts
>> > of unused parts, that is their choice, I am fine with that, I also
>> > need that.
>> >
>> > But to introduce "NOT POSIX Compliant" to a project where "POSIX
>> > Compliance" is a design principle looks self-contradictory.
>> >
>> > Lets have a discussion first, know the details, align the solution, then
>> > vote.
>> > Lets not vote by surprise because voting is binding.
>> >
>> > Hugs :-)
>> > Tomek
>> >
>> > --
>> > CeDeROM, SQ7MHZ, http://www.tomek.cedro.info
>> >
>> > On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 8:23 PM Alan C. Assis <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>> > >
>> > > Exactly!!!
>> > >
>> > > If we remove all non-POSIX features and remove all chips that doesn't
>> > have
>> > > MMU, NuttX will run only in 3 or 4 boards.
>> > >
>> > > Is this the direction we want to go?
>> > >
>> > > BR,
>> > >
>> > > Alan
>> > >
>> > > On Thursday, November 20, 2025, raiden00pl <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>> > >
>> > > > TBH, I don't understand these -1 votes...
>> > > >
>> > > > NuttX isn't fully POSIX-compliant and never will be, unless we
>> > > > want to get rid of 80% of the supported targets. Full POSIX
>> compliance
>> > > > requires an MMU, for example, for proper mmap() implementation.
>> > > > You can't support "deeply-embedded environments" (quote from doc)
>> and
>> > > > full POSIX at the same time. This is an obvious contradiction.
>> > > > POSIX profiles (PSE) improve this somewhat, but an MMU is still
>> > required
>> > > > for full compatibility (mmap issue).
>> > > >
>> > > > So what about the features currently present in NuttX that are
>> > obviously
>> > > > not POSIX-compliant? Like everything in `menuconfig DISABLE_OS_API`.
>> > > > Even the NuttX documentation indirectly states from the very
>> beginning
>> > that
>> > > > NuttX is NOT fully POSIX because it doesn't support fork() which is
>> > > > required
>> > > > by the POSIX base specification.
>> > > >
>> > > > czw., 20 lis 2025 o 19:41 Tomek CEDRO <[email protected]>
>> napisał(a):
>> > > >
>> > > > > -1 from me as per this vote too sorry.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > I am sure there are other ways to accomplish that goal.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > We do not want to communicate officially in any way that we are
>> "NOT
>> > > > > POSIX Compliant" on purpose when we clearly state in many places
>> > > > > "strict POSIX and ANSI compliance" including the Inviolables. That
>> > > > > will make us incoherent and self-contradictory.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > As in my previous response, trimming down the firmware in extreme
>> > > > > cases can be achieved by removing unused functionalities, at the
>> > > > > individual responsibility of the developer. I know there may be
>> use
>> > > > > cases for that, and people still want to use NuttX not the other
>> > RTOS,
>> > > > > which is important.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > My proposition is to clearly mark all POSIX functionalities, that
>> are
>> > > > > enabled and available by default, and when any of them is removed
>> > then
>> > > > > final solution is not POSIX compliant (may be not even used this
>> is
>> > up
>> > > > > to the firmware developer) but necessary to accomplish the task.
>> This
>> > > > > provides a choice for trimming down the firmware image but sticks
>> to
>> > > > > POSIX/ANSI by default.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > This way we stick to POSIX/ANSI compliance by default. We have
>> clear
>> > > > > identification of POSIX / PE51 parts. We allow trimming down the
>> > final
>> > > > > firmware in known range of POSIX / PE51 or beyond.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > What do you think? :-)
>> > > > >
>> > > > > --
>> > > > > CeDeROM, SQ7MHZ, http://www.tomek.cedro.info
>> > > > >
>> > > > > On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 7:16 PM Gregory Nutt <[email protected]
>> >
>> > > > wrote:
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > -1
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > Bad idea.  Destroys the core value proposition for the OS.
>> > > > > > ________________________________
>> > > > > > From: Alan C. Assis <[email protected]>
>> > > > > > Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2025 5:05 AM
>> > > > > > To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
>> > > > > > Subject: Re: [VOTE] Add support to NOT POSIX Compliant (or
>> should
>> > be
>> > > > add
>> > > > > support ?)
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > Hi Greg,
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > Yes, I think the idea is to support POSIX subprofiles, this is
>> the
>> > case
>> > > > > for
>> > > > > > pthread, posix timers, signals, etc.
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > I think these extreme cases are low end MCUs where we can offer
>> the
>> > > > > option
>> > > > > > to run a small version of NuttX, without jeopardizing the usage
>> for
>> > > > > people
>> > > > > > who need a compliant POSIX OS.
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > BR,
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > Alan
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 9:50 AM Gregory Nutt <
>> [email protected]>
>> > > > > wrote:
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > > There should only be extreme conditions where any POSIX API
>> is
>> > > > > > > non-compliant.  POSIX complience is a core value of the OS and
>> > should
>> > > > > not
>> > > > > > > be violated.  If we lose POSIX compliance then we have
>> > destroyed the
>> > > > > > > meaning for the existence of the operating system.  I hopr
>> that
>> > no
>> > > > one
>> > > > > will
>> > > > > > > ever tolerate that to happen.
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > The only legitimate cases I can think of are due to hardware
>> > > > > limitations.
>> > > > > > > For example, certain features of mmap() and fork() cannot be
>> > support
>> > > > if
>> > > > > > > there is no MMU.  uCLinux had the same limitations.
>> > > > > > > ________________________________
>> > > > > > > From: Alan C. Assis <[email protected]>
>> > > > > > > Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2025 4:39 AM
>> > > > > > > To: dev <[email protected]>
>> > > > > > > Subject: [VOTE] Add support to NOT POSIX Compliant (or should
>> be
>> > add
>> > > > > > > support ?)
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > Hi Everyone,
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > Some years ago NuttX was able to fit in really small MCUs (in
>> > fact I
>> > > > > got it
>> > > > > > > running on a chip using less than 2KB RAM).
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > But a few years ago those options to disable SIGNALS, VFS, etc
>> > were
>> > > > > > > disabled to create a system that was fully POSIX compliant.
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > Unfortunately we missed the details: POSIX also aims at
>> systems
>> > > > without
>> > > > > > > resources, as is the case of POSIX PE51 (POSIX PSE51 is a
>> > specific,
>> > > > > minimal
>> > > > > > > profile or subset of the full POSIX - Portable Operating
>> System
>> > > > > Interface
>> > > > > > > standard, formally defined in IEEE 1003.13-2003).
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > Almost two years ago I opened an issue about it:
>> > > > > > > https://github.com/apache/nuttx/issues/11390
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > Today Mr Chengdong opened a PR to bring back the possibility
>> to
>> > > > disable
>> > > > > > > signals:
>> > > > > > > https://github.com/apache/nuttx/pull/17352
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > But as Mateusz (raiden00pl) pointed we need to be careful
>> about
>> > it to
>> > > > > avoid
>> > > > > > > breaking the Inviolables:
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > ## Strict POSIX compliance
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > >   - Strict conformance to the portable standard OS interface
>> as
>> > > > > defined at
>> > > > > > >     OpenGroup.org.
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > *  - A deeply embedded system requires some special support.
>> > Special
>> > > > > > > support must be minimized.*  - The portable interface must
>> never
>> > be
>> > > > > > > compromised only for the sake of
>> > > > > > >     expediency.
>> > > > > > >   - Expediency or even improved performance are not
>> > justifications
>> > > > for
>> > > > > > >     violation of the strict POSIX interface.
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > Fortunately Greg chose well his words: "Special support must
>> be
>> > > > > minimized".
>> > > > > > > It doesn't mean it could exist, we just need to take care to
>> not
>> > > > become
>> > > > > > > normal or goal and jeopardize the system.
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > So in this sense I propose to vote a suggestion:
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > In the configuration where we already add an option to disable
>> > posix
>> > > > > timer,
>> > > > > > > pthreads, etc we add an option to "Enable POSIX PE51 subset".
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > This way someone willing to disable signals will be aware
>> he/she
>> > is
>> > > > > > > creating a system that is not POSIX fully compliant or it is
>> > just a
>> > > > > subset
>> > > > > > > of a POSIX OS.
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > BR,
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > Alan
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > >
>> >
>>
>

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