Question on -fwrapv and -fwrapv-pointer

[Kees Cook]

On Wed, Sep 20, 2023 at 11:16:21PM +0200, Martin Uecker wrote:
> I meant something else: Why wasn't an unsigned type
> used in the first place?   If all "counter" variables were
> signed and all "modulo" variables unsigned, one could already 
> diagnose overflow reliably. 
> 
> I was trying to understand if there are generally
> valid reasons for using unsigned integers for "counters".
> or whether this is just a historical mistake in the
> kernel.

There isn't a common guideline in the kernel coding style for this, so
it's mostly arbitrary. :(

> (and thank you for your explanations)

Sure thing! Thanks for your (and everyone's) help clarifying this whole
area. :)

-Kees

-- 
Kees Cook