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Re: [PATCH] Fix up LD_* vars behaviour


From: Roland McGrath <roland@hack.frob.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:52:31 -0700 (PDT)

>> If they are documenting the tool, and their documentation is accurate,
>> then it's a valid reference point for what we are allowed to change on
>> people or not.
> 
> No, it's not.  What the past behavior was is what matters, regardless of
> whether or where it was ever documented.

And I'm merely saying that such documentation, if accurate, is a
viable reference for past behavior.

> But in cases where there is not a clear specification such as POSIX
> or ISO C indicating the detail should never have been relied upon,
> then it's entirely a question of our judgment about what is better
> for users overall.

I think using such standards documentation to justify potentially
breaking things on people would be very bad policy.

If we made a mistake on an implementation and it's been out in the
wild for some time, and people do depend upon it, we're essentially
stuck supporting it forever whether we like it or not.


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