I know that in principle Rust is safer, but I am wondering it makes sense to re-implement code so heavily audited as libc.
Wouldn’t it be better to redirect the effort to some other less audited code?
Can't find separate listings for libc in FreeBSD, OpenBSD but the list is smaller than glibc if you check e.g., VuXML or https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-97/p...
Looks like glibc is the worst sinner here.
/sarcasm
For example the one about sscanf("foo", "%10s", strptr) returning 1. Hint: According to the standard, it should return 0. Musl does it right, which recently broke some of my test cases. But the bug is known and not fixed since years, maybe a decade...
Most existing libc implementations are not particularly portable across different kernels, and especially not to microkernels such as Redox OS. The goal is to have a standard library that is easier for the Redox OS devs to develop in (obviously, Rust makes sense here), and not so tied down to one kernel like musl is for example.
To be more compatible with system code?
http://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/Name-Servi...
It’s a mechanism in glibc for loading dynamic libraries at runtime (based on a config file) to handle DNS and some other things. Anything statically linked can’t support this, which can cause issues with some setups.
I’m doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won’t be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready. I’d like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat (same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical reasons) among other things).
I’ve currently ported bash(1.08) and gcc(1.40), and things seem to work. This implies that I’ll get something practical within a few months, and I’d like to know what features most people would want. Any suggestions are welcome, but I won’t promise I’ll implement them :)"
-- Linus
Look how much Redox has achieved in so little time and with so few people. It has everything from a kernel to a fully working desktop GUI.
All because they use a good language that allows easy code reuse and proper library packaging.
Also remember that Linux at some point was somebody's pet project.