[Info-vax] Extended file spec support on CSWS & PHP7

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2020-08-28 18:37:14 +0000, Craig A. Berry said:

> On 8/28/20 11:42 AM, hb wrote:
>> On 8/28/20 5:29 PM, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
>>> (And yes, lib$initialize reportedly can't fix everything here, due to 
>>> the details of the app launch sequencing.)
>> 
>> It depends on where the lib$initialize is, in the main or in a 
>> shareable image. You very likely can always ensure with linker options 
>> that your lib$initialize in your shareable image is called before any 
>> other code runs. That should fix any problem, here, that I can think of.
> 
> But you can't set extended parse in lib$initialize,[1] and without 
> that, DECC$ARGV_PARSE_STYLE doesn't do you any good.
> 
> [1] You can set it, but it doesn't have any effect on the 
> already-running image.

Ayup.  That's the one I was thinking of. Wouldn't surprise me there 
might or can or will be other cases arising here, given the relative 
volatility of the whole morass-of-an-API here.

OpenVMS has far too many of these legacy-encumbered API designs around, 
too. Alas, the development effort involved in resolving these cases is 
likely insurmountable, without also selectively eliminating 
compatibility.

I like compatibility. I do. But I recognize that compatibility has its 
limits. And that compatibility adds development costs, both for VSI 
developers, and for end-user and third-party app developers. And having 
to explain to folks that you need ~40 settings in a startup file can be 
an interesting discussion with new-to-OpenVMS developers. Or explaining 
cases where establishing the run-time defaults was ignored, and 
something (else) then blows up. Later. Mysteriously.  (Long-standing 
parallel to these C RTL downstream app failures: it should not be 
permissible to default the $crembx mailbox size and buffer quota 
arguments in any new code. That defaulting never ends well.)

Getting a charter for and budget to actually fix some of the larger 
design holes here would be entertaining for all. But that's not 
happening until after the completion of the OpenVMS x86-64 port, and 
that at the very earliest. But fixing this stuff will break stuff.


-- 
Pure Personal Opinion | HoffmanLabs LLC