Re: CMake on Unix

Nathan Hartman <[email protected]> Tue, 19 May 2026 14:52:15 -0400
Newsgroups gmane.comp.apache.apr.devel
Message-ID <CAJT2EHp9fZU44uBo5FDYz2Cy2av1NoJqcVgoXNy8=Vduvg5bPw@mail.gmail.com>
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On Tue, May 19, 2026 at 1:37=E2=80=AFPM Branko =C4=8Cibej <[email protected]=
> wrote:

> On 19. 5. 26 19:10, Timofei Zhakov wrote:
>
> On Tue, May 19, 2026 at 5:02=E2=80=AFPM Branko =C4=8Cibej <[email protected]=
rg> wrote:
>
>> On 19. 5. 26 15:19, Timofei Zhakov wrote:
>>
>> On Mon, May 18, 2026 at 11:20=E2=80=AFPM Branko =C4=8Cibej <brane@apache=
.org> wrote:
>>
>>> On 18. 5. 26 22:27, Ivan Zhakov wrote:
>>>
>>> On Mon, 18 May 2026 at 21:24, Timofei Zhakov <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Mon, May 18, 2026 at 5:22=E2=80=AFPM Branko =C4=8Cibej <brane@apach=
e.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 18. 5. 26 17:04, Ivan Zhakov wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> [..]
>>>
>>>> Yes, especially because the Unix and Win32 versions share a lot of
>>>> things in common but sometimes need to do it in a slightly different w=
ay.
>>>>
>>>> Also what do you guys think about the fact that Win32 apr.h includes
>>>> windows.h? It seems odd to me. APR promises to eliminate platform
>>>> dependence by wrapping everything into POSIX-ish style API
>>>>
>>>
>>> Cross-platform API. I'm not sure what you mean by POSIX-ish, but APR
>>> isn't that.
>>>
>>>
>> I mean that the API is similar. For example, apr_file_open() kind of
>> works almost like fopen(). Not exactly but in my head I have this
>> connection. Okay their signatures are very different and even naming, bu=
t I
>> think there is some pattern of doing the same thing but in a slightly mo=
re
>> modern way with a bit more control.
>>
>>
>>> without extra unneeded junk and then all high level code essentially ha=
s
>>>> GetLastError in the scope. I think if one wants to explicitly use win3=
2
>>>> API, they should include those headers themselves.
>>>>
>>>
>>> It's a good question. I agree that apr.h should not depend on system
>>> headers like Windows.h. But one reason that Windows error codes are use=
d in
>>> apr_errno.h.
>>>
>>>
>>> apr.h is a generated, *system-specific* header. Of course it can and
>>> should depend on system headers if it needs them. It also includes
>>> sys/types.h and sys/socket.h and sys/wait.h and os2.h and so on, depend=
ing
>>> on the target. That makes perfect sense.
>>>
>>>
>> The question I have is whether we really want it or not.
>>
>> In reality it's always included in every source file. Take svn_wc.h for
>> example:
>>
>> [[[
>> #include <apr.h>
>> #include <apr_pools.h>
>> #include <apr_tables.h>
>> #include <apr_hash.h>
>> #include <apr_time.h>
>> #include <apr_file_io.h>
>>
>> #include "svn_types.h"
>> #include "svn_string.h"
>> #include "svn_checksum.h"
>> #include "svn_io.h"
>> #include "svn_delta.h"     /* for svn_stream_t */
>> #include "svn_opt.h"
>> #include "svn_ra.h"        /* for svn_ra_reporter_t type */
>> ]]]
>>
>>
>>
>> You'll have to be more specific: what exactly is wrong with that? apr.h
>> uses symbols defined in windows.h, what else is it supposed to do? I rea=
lly
>> don't understand your objections.
>>
>>
> It shouldn't use any symbols from it. That's what I'm saying.
>
> However, there are a few places that currently potentially do use it:
>
> [[[
> #if APR_HAS_UNICODE_FS
> /* An arbitrary size that is digestable. True max is a bit less than 3200=
0
> */
> #define APR_PATH_MAX 8192
> #else /* !APR_HAS_UNICODE_FS */
> #define APR_PATH_MAX MAX_PATH
> #endif
> ]]]
>
> and
>
> [[[
> /* Appears in later flavors, not the originals. */
> #ifndef in_addr6
> #define  in6_addr    in_addr6
> #endif
>
> #ifndef WS2TCPIP_INLINE
> #define IN6_IS_ADDR_V4MAPPED(a) \
>     (   (*(const apr_uint64_t *)(const void *)(&(a)->s6_addr[0]) =3D=3D 0=
) \
>      && (*(const apr_uint32_t *)(const void *)(&(a)->s6_addr[8]) =3D=3D
> ntohl(0x0000ffff)))
> #endif
> ]]]
>
> (MAX_PATH, ntohl, in_addr6 are the ones affected)
>
> I really think those should be somewhere in private headers or in the
> sources. MAX_PATH is fine. But ipv6 magic - I don't like it.
>
>
> I really don't know what to say (that isn't sarcastic or condescending).
> Please take some time to research the consequences of what you're
> suggesting and while you're doing that, think wider than just Windows. I'=
ll
> give you a hint: the key words are "APR" and "API".
>
> I guess I didn't quite reach the !(sarcastic || condescending) goal. My
> apologies.
>
> Then we basically just have a header that nobody uses. It also brings a
> lot of stuff into the autocomplete.
>
>
> That's just about the worst argument for a wrong technical proposal that
> I've ever seen. Get a better editor.
>
> -- Brane
>



At $dayjob we have a portability library of sorts and, like APR, it
includes various system headers. Which ones depends on the system.

Just to use this one example, MAX_PATH depends on the system so whatever
program you build with the library will need to know what it is, for array
sizing and other purposes.

If you really want to eliminate all system headers, you could consider a
"null system" which would include no system headers at all. It probably
wouldn't build or run, but it might be useful for things like static
analysis where you don't want the details of any particular system to
influence the analysis. Any functions that must be provided by the
underlying system would need to be NOPs or perhaps simulated in some way.

Cheers,
Nathan

PS, This is a separate topic than CMake, unless there's a connection I
missed?

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<div>On Tue, May 19, 2026 at 1:37=E2=80=AFPM Branko =C4=8Cibej &lt;<a href=
=3D"mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>&gt; wrote:<br></div><div>=
<div class=3D"gmail_quote"><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margi=
n:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><u></u>

 =20
   =20
 =20
  <div></div><div>
    <div>On 19. 5. 26 19:10, Timofei Zhakov
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type=3D"cite">
     =20
      <div dir=3D"ltr">
        <div dir=3D"ltr">On Tue, May 19, 2026 at 5:02=E2=80=AFPM Branko =C4=
=8Cibej &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank">brane@apa=
che.org</a>&gt;
          wrote:</div>
        <div class=3D"gmail_quote">
          <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8=
ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
            <div>
              <div>On 19. 5. 26 15:19, Timofei Zhakov wrote:<br>
              </div>
              <blockquote type=3D"cite">
                <div dir=3D"ltr">
                  <div dir=3D"ltr">On Mon, May 18, 2026 at 11:20=E2=80=AFPM=
 Branko
                    =C4=8Cibej &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" targ=
et=3D"_blank">[email protected]</a>&gt;
                    wrote:</div>
                  <div class=3D"gmail_quote">
                    <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0=
px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                      <div>
                        <div>On 18. 5. 26 22:27, Ivan Zhakov wrote:<br>
                        </div>
                        <blockquote type=3D"cite">
                          <div dir=3D"ltr">
                            <div dir=3D"ltr">On Mon, 18 May 2026 at 21:24,
                              Timofei Zhakov &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:tima@che=
modax.net" target=3D"_blank">[email protected]</a>&gt;
                              wrote:</div>
                            <div class=3D"gmail_quote">
                              <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"ma=
rgin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:=
1ex">
                                <div dir=3D"ltr">
                                  <div dir=3D"ltr">
                                    <div dir=3D"ltr">On Mon, May 18, 2026
                                      at 5:22=E2=80=AFPM Branko =C4=8Cibej =
&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank">[email protected]<=
/a>&gt;
                                      wrote:</div>
                                    <div class=3D"gmail_quote">
                                      <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" sty=
le=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);paddi=
ng-left:1ex">
                                        <div>
                                          <div>On 18. 5. 26 17:04, Ivan
                                            Zhakov wrote:<br>
                                          </div>
                                          =C2=A0</div>
                                      </blockquote>
                                    </div>
                                  </div>
                                </div>
                              </blockquote>
                              <div>[..]=C2=A0</div>
                              <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"ma=
rgin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:=
1ex">
                                <div dir=3D"ltr">
                                  <div dir=3D"ltr">
                                    <div class=3D"gmail_quote">
                                      <div>Yes, especially because the
                                        Unix and Win32 versions share a
                                        lot of things in common but
                                        sometimes need to do it in a
                                        slightly different way.</div>
                                      <div><br>
                                      </div>
                                      <div>Also what do you guys think
                                        about the fact that Win32 apr.h
                                        includes windows.h? It seems odd
                                        to me. APR promises to eliminate
                                        platform dependence by wrapping
                                        everything into POSIX-ish style
                                        API</div>
                                    </div>
                                  </div>
                                </div>
                              </blockquote>
                            </div>
                          </div>
                        </blockquote>
                        <br>
                        Cross-platform API. I&#39;m not sure what you mean
                        by POSIX-ish, but APR isn&#39;t that.<br>
                        <br>
                      </div>
                    </blockquote>
                    <div><br>
                    </div>
                    <div>I mean that the API is similar. For example,
                      apr_file_open() kind of works almost like fopen().
                      Not exactly but in my head I have this connection.
                      Okay their signatures are very different and even
                      naming, but I think there is some pattern of doing
                      the same thing but in a slightly more modern way
                      with a bit more control.</div>
                    <div>=C2=A0</div>
                    <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0=
px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                      <div>
                        <blockquote type=3D"cite">
                          <div dir=3D"ltr">
                            <div class=3D"gmail_quote">
                              <blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"ma=
rgin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:=
1ex">
                                <div dir=3D"ltr">
                                  <div dir=3D"ltr">
                                    <div class=3D"gmail_quote">
                                      <div>without extra unneeded junk
                                        and then all high level code
                                        essentially has GetLastError in
                                        the scope. I think if one wants
                                        to explicitly use win32 API,
                                        they should include those
                                        headers themselves.</div>
                                    </div>
                                  </div>
                                </div>
                              </blockquote>
                              <br>
                            </div>
                            <div class=3D"gmail_quote">It&#39;s a good
                              question. I agree that apr.h should not
                              depend on system headers like Windows.h.
                              But one reason that Windows error codes
                              are used in apr_errno.h.</div>
                          </div>
                        </blockquote>
                        <br>
                        apr.h is a generated, <i>system-specific</i>
                        header. Of course it can and should depend on
                        system headers if it needs them. It also
                        includes sys/types.h and sys/socket.h and
                        sys/wait.h and os2.h and so on, depending on the
                        target. That makes perfect sense.<br>
                        <br>
                      </div>
                    </blockquote>
                    <div><br>
                    </div>
                    <div>The question I have is whether we really want
                      it or not.=C2=A0</div>
                    <div><br>
                    </div>
                    <div>In reality it&#39;s always included in every sourc=
e
                      file. Take svn_wc.h for example:</div>
                    <div><br>
                    </div>
                    <div>[[[</div>
                    <div>#include &lt;apr.h&gt;<br>
                      #include &lt;apr_pools.h&gt;<br>
                      #include &lt;apr_tables.h&gt;<br>
                      #include &lt;apr_hash.h&gt;<br>
                      #include &lt;apr_time.h&gt;<br>
                      #include &lt;apr_file_io.h&gt;<br>
                      <br>
                      #include &quot;svn_types.h&quot;<br>
                      #include &quot;svn_string.h&quot;<br>
                      #include &quot;svn_checksum.h&quot;<br>
                      #include &quot;svn_io.h&quot;<br>
                      #include &quot;svn_delta.h&quot; =C2=A0 =C2=A0 /* for=
 svn_stream_t */<br>
                      #include &quot;svn_opt.h&quot;<br>
                      #include &quot;svn_ra.h&quot; =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =
=C2=A0/* for
                      svn_ra_reporter_t type */<br>
                      ]]]</div>
                  </div>
                </div>
              </blockquote>
              <br>
              <br>
              You&#39;ll have to be more specific: what exactly is wrong
              with that? apr.h uses symbols defined in windows.h, what
              else is it supposed to do? I really don&#39;t understand your
              objections.<br>
              <br>
            </div>
          </blockquote>
          <div><br>
          </div>
          <div>It shouldn&#39;t use any symbols from it. That&#39;s what I&=
#39;m
            saying.=C2=A0</div>
        </div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>However, there are a few places that currently potentially
          do use it:</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>[[[</div>
        <div>#if APR_HAS_UNICODE_FS<br>
          /* An arbitrary size that is digestable. True max is a bit
          less than 32000 */<br>
          #define APR_PATH_MAX 8192<br>
          #else /* !APR_HAS_UNICODE_FS */<br>
          #define APR_PATH_MAX MAX_PATH<br>
          #endif<br>
          ]]]</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>and</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>[[[</div>
        <div>/* Appears in later flavors, not the originals. */<br>
          #ifndef in_addr6<br>
          #define =C2=A0in6_addr =C2=A0 =C2=A0in_addr6<br>
          #endif<br>
          <br>
          #ifndef WS2TCPIP_INLINE<br>
          #define IN6_IS_ADDR_V4MAPPED(a) \<br>
          =C2=A0 =C2=A0 ( =C2=A0 (*(const apr_uint64_t *)(const void
          *)(&amp;(a)-&gt;s6_addr[0]) =3D=3D 0) \<br>
          =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0&amp;&amp; (*(const apr_uint32_t *)(const voi=
d
          *)(&amp;(a)-&gt;s6_addr[8]) =3D=3D ntohl(0x0000ffff)))<br>
          #endif<br>
          ]]]</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>(MAX_PATH,=C2=A0ntohl, in_addr6 are the ones affected)</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>I really think those should be somewhere in private headers
          or in the sources.=C2=A0MAX_PATH is fine. But ipv6 magic - I don&=
#39;t
          like it.</div>
      </div>
    </blockquote>
    <br></div><div>
    I really don&#39;t know what to say (that isn&#39;t sarcastic or
    condescending). Please take some time to research the consequences
    of what you&#39;re suggesting and while you&#39;re doing that, think wi=
der
    than just Windows. I&#39;ll give you a hint: the key words are &quot;AP=
R&quot; and
    &quot;API&quot;.<br>
    <br>
    I guess I didn&#39;t quite reach the !(sarcastic || condescending) goal=
.
    My apologies.<br>
    <br>
    <blockquote type=3D"cite">
      <div dir=3D"ltr">
        <div>Then we basically just have a header that nobody uses. It
          also brings a lot of stuff into the autocomplete.</div>
      </div>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
    That&#39;s just about the worst argument for a wrong technical proposal
    that I&#39;ve ever seen. Get a better editor.<br>
    <br>
    -- Brane<br>
    </div></blockquote><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></=
div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">At $dayjob we have a port=
ability library of sorts and, like APR, it includes various system headers.=
 Which ones depends on the system.</div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div di=
r=3D"auto">Just to use this one example, MAX_PATH depends on the system so =
whatever program you build with the library will need to know what it is, f=
or array sizing and other purposes.</div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div d=
ir=3D"auto">If you really want to eliminate all system headers, you could c=
onsider a &quot;null system&quot; which would include no system headers at =
all. It probably wouldn&#39;t build or run, but it might be useful for thin=
gs like static analysis where you don&#39;t want the details of any particu=
lar system to influence the analysis. Any functions that must be provided b=
y the underlying system would need to be NOPs or perhaps simulated in some =
way.</div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">Cheers,</div><div d=
ir=3D"auto">Nathan</div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">PS, T=
his is a separate topic than CMake, unless there&#39;s a connection I misse=
d?</div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div></div></div=
>

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