Esthetics (or worse?) of Secure Pointers

[Greg McGary]

Robert Bernecky <bernecky@acm.org> writes:

> Consider an app, APP, that calls both XFree86 code and also calls
> something else large, like tcp/ip code.

TCP/IP APs are already done as part of glibc.

> In order to convert APP to use bounded pointers, Xfree86 and tcp/ip
> have to be compiled as bounded first.

The X protocol doesn't transmit pointers, so BP X apps should run on a
non-BP X server.  Assuming you have your multilibs configured properly,
non-BP X apps continue to work using the non-BP X libs, while you slog
away building BP versions of X libs, and step by step, you get them up
and now you can run BP X apps too.

> All their callers must then be converted at the same
> time. It's right up there with budgie jumping and parrot shoot
> jumping: a high level of committment is called for.

Bob, try to relax.  You just haven't lived with the problem long
enough.  In time, you'll feel much less intimidated.  Start small:
port some ncurses programs before you tackle X11!  8^)

Greg