Henry Vermaak wrote:
On Wed, Jan 09, 2013 at 08:42:22AM +0000, Mark Morgan Lloyd wrote:
But if you want an example of a very nasty bug caused by C/C++
multiple assignment, there was a well-documented attempt to slip a
privilege escalation into the Linux kernel based on this a few years
ago.
It's very easy to argue against multiple assignment. It's less easy
to argue against implementing an equivalent of the C/C++
conditional.
Are you talking about this one?
http://lwn.net/Articles/57135/
Yes, although it took me a few minutes Googling after I posted the
earlier comment before I had the reference to hand.
I've got a vague recollection that since that episode the kernel
maintainers have mandated a use of parentheses that helps the compiler
pick up the distinction between an equality and an assignment. But it's
unfortunate when programmers have to use a contrived form to work around
sloppiness in the language design... I'm specifically talking about
ill-conceived syntax here, not about flexibility that you get from easy
access to things like pointer arithmetic.
--
Mark Morgan Lloyd
markMLl .AT. telemetry.co .DOT. uk
[Opinions above are the author's, not those of his employers or colleagues]
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