Re: POSIX conformance document
From: Bruno Haible <hidden>
Date: 2024-06-02 13:37:55
Hi Alejandro,
quoted
Is such a document only considered useful for business/marketing purposes?Mostly.quoted
Isn't there some value in it also for regular users and developers?The documentation for each API usually documents the implementation- defined behavior, and differences to other systems. We don't have it centralized in a single document, but we have something. While I don't see much usefulness for myself as a user in having a centralized document for that, ...
OK, so let's discard the idea of a centralized document, and document it where appropriate. Documenting it in individual package documentations is also easier for our community.
quoted
Will there be some effort to create such a document for the upcoming POSIX.1-2024 standard, for Linux and the GNU libraries and tools?Heh, I suppose not, unless some company sponsors it, or some individual feels a strong need for it. But just guessing.
I agree; there is no reason why anyone should make this effort in 2024 after it wasn't done in 2018.
In the Linux man-pages project I'm documenting differences with POSIX or the BSDs in the VERSIONS section (see man-pages(7)); sometimes in CAVEATS, if it's a tricky detail; it depends.
Thanks for the pointer. VERSIONS or STANDARDS (previously: CONFORMING TO) appear adequate for documenting implementation-defined behaviour. For texinfo documentation, I guess it will be up to the individual package maintainer. Bruno