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| author | Laurent Bercot <ska-skaware@skarnet.org> | 2014-09-18 18:55:44 +0000 |
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| committer | Laurent Bercot <ska-skaware@skarnet.org> | 2014-09-18 18:55:44 +0000 |
| commit | 3534b428629be185e096be99e3bd5fdfe32d5544 (patch) | |
| tree | 210ef3198ed66bc7f7b7bf6a85e4579f455e5a36 /doc/djblegacy.html | |
| download | skalibs-3534b428629be185e096be99e3bd5fdfe32d5544.tar.xz | |
initial commit with rc for skalibs-2.0.0.0
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| -rw-r--r-- | doc/djblegacy.html | 151 |
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diff --git a/doc/djblegacy.html b/doc/djblegacy.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0cdd891 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/djblegacy.html @@ -0,0 +1,151 @@ +<html> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en" /> + <title>skalibs: the djb legacy</title> + <meta name="Description" content="skalibs: the djb legacy" /> + <meta name="Keywords" content="skalibs c unix djb legacy library libstddjb" /> + <!-- <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://skarnet.org/default.css" /> --> + </head> +<body> + +<p> +<a href="index.html">skalibs</a><br /> +<a href="http://skarnet.org/software/">Software</a><br /> +<a href="http://skarnet.org/">skarnet.org</a> +</p> + +<h1> The DJB legacy </h1> + +<h2> Who is this DJB guy, and why is he so special anyway ? </h2> + +<p> +<a href="http://cr.yp.to/">Dan J. Bernstein</a> is a cryptologist and +a mathematician; he's also the author of a widely known and used MTA, +<a href="http://cr.yp.to/qmail.html">qmail</a>, as well as a few +lesser known pieces of software. +</p> + +<p> + For some time he was quite active in some Unix software-related +Internet newsgroups and mailing-lists; he quickly became a +controversial figure of the Unix programming community, mostly +by being extremely vocal against well-known authors of +"mainstream" Unix software and by suggesting designs so removed +from traditional software design that a normal human reaction is +to first view him as a complete nut. +</p> + +<p> + I do not care for controversy. I am interested in the code. I was +a sysadmin at the time, and still learning to program in C beyond +what they teach you in school (i.e. not much). I had heard enough +horror stories with sendmail; so I gave a shot at qmail, trying to +understand its design principles and the way it was made. And then +I fell down the rabbit hole. +</p> + +<p> + Look, I don't care what you think of the guy, I don't know him +anyway, and this is totally beside the point. The only thing that +matters is that DJB's software is <strong>right</strong> in so +many ways. This software <strong>works</strong>. DJB's design +principles are <strong>sound</strong> and elegant; they are +sound foundations to build <strong>reliable, secure, and +low resource-consuming</strong> software. And the design, +when you get used to it, feels so unix-ish: it's Unix the way it +should have been from the start. +</p> + +<p> + Studying DJB's software was the best course in C/Unix programming +I ever had. Now I <em>teach</em> C/Unix; and I am really glad I +learned from the best. +</p> + +<h2> Building beyond DJB's works. </h2> + +<p> + There's already +<a href="http://thedjbway.b0llix.net/">a lot you can do</a> with +pristine DJB software and some brains. +</p> + +<p> + However, I mostly see DJB as a pioneer. He showed it was possible +to think Unix differently and build secure, reliable and efficient +software without investing millions of dollars into it; now it is +up to software architects and programmers to use the breakthrough +and build upon it. There's a real demand for quality Unix software +out there; it's time to supply. And +<a href="http://thedjbway.b0llix.net/friends.html">I am not the only +one</a> thinking this way. +</p> + +<p> + So, skalibs. +</p> + +<p> + One of the "DJB philosophy" key points is to <em>question the +interfaces</em>. You have a task to do; you have existing interfaces. +What do you do? +</p> + +<ul> + <li> Most people don't even think about it and use the existing +interfaces, even if it amounts to cramming a square peg into a +round hole. This is why buffer overflows exist. This is why +people use abominations such as +<a href="http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/gets.html">gets()</a>, +<em>which is still in the Single Unix Specification as of version 4, +in freaking June 2011</em>. This is why the System V +initialization scheme is still prevalent in Linux distributions, +despite being one of the slowest and most unreliable of all +initialization schemes. This is why people still use the +atrocious "libresolv" DNS client library. </li> + <li> An alternative way of thinking is to ask yourself: +"Is the interface I have adequate for the task at hand?" + <ul> + <li> If yes: perfect, use that interface. </li> + <li> If no: then <em>do not use</em> that interface, duh. Design a +better one and use it: so the complexity will be split and the code +will be easier to maintain. </li> + </ul> </li> +</ul> + +<p> + Interfaces should be questioned <em>right down to the libc</em>. You +cannot build strong software on flakey foundations. And from a system +and network programmer's point of view, one thing is clear: <em>most +standard libc interfaces suck.</em> There is no buffered asynchronous +I/O. There is no timed I/O. There is no heap management helper. Even +<a href="libstddjb/safewrappers.html">simple system calls are not +guaranteed to succeed!</a> +</p> + +<p> + That is where skalibs comes from. skalibs results from questioning +the libc interfaces, and providing replacements or additions where +the existing interfaces do not make it easy to write reliable, secure +and efficient software. It is <em>inspired by</em> DJB's work. It is +not a shrine or anything of the kind. +</p> + +<h2> Conclusion </h2> + +<p> + So, in short, DJB is not a guru, I'm not a mindless brainwashed fan, +and the "DJB advocates" are not a cult. We just think DJB brought +something to Unix and more generally to the software programming world; +we learned from him, we write software following +sound principles that he was one of the first to really apply, and we give +credit where credit is due. +</p> + +<p> + Use our software. You will never want to go back. +</p> + +</body> +</html> |