In article <d-dyhz_@rpi.edu> maniattb@cs.rpi.edu (Bill Maniatty) writes:
quoted text
>In article <1992Aug17.065450.28834@colorado.edu>, drew@ophelia.cs.colorado.edu (Drew Eckhardt) writes:
>|> In article <NOP.92Aug16220027@theory.Mankato.MSUS.EDU> nop@theory.Mankato.MSUS.EDU (Jay A. Carlson) writes:
>|> >In article <1992Aug15.042420.18914@serval.net.wsu.edu> hlu@phys1.physics.wsu.edu (Hongjiu Lu) writes:
>       [Stuff Deleted] 
>|> Also, if we ever unbreak Linux, writing to code space should trigger
>|> a segmentation fault - it's like it is now because the estdio library 
>|> was broken, and wrote to the code. 
>       Does linux permit self modifying code (by design or bug)?
>       This seems like a pretty bad ``feature''.

Hopefully we won't start another nasty chain here.. but someone correct
me if I'm wrong, but I've always been from the school that said that
all static variables went into the code space, otherwise how would
they be loaded in.  If one cannot modify the code space then I would
see it as impossible to modify a static variable.   In effect when you
declare something static and you modify it, haven't you modified your
code?   If we lost this ability, then I would see it as quite tricky
to implement static declarations with some elaborate loader that would
have to be implemented.  As it stands, design is simplified, and there
is no sacrifice in execution speed.   If a programmer wants to modify
his code or store values within the code, we should let him.   There's
only one reason to protect that, and it's to protect the programmer from
himself or herself.   Any programmer that intentionally modifies something
in code space will most probably know what is going on.  As to integrity
issues, if you make it to break, it's your fault.

Yeah, it's not the best view, but it's the way I see things.   I don't
want to start any long debates on the issue, so if you disagree with me,
reply by email.  "Oh I love mail" - The Count, Sesame Street.
--
Nathan I. Laredo (this spot: $9) Internet: gt7080a@prism.gatech.edu 
uucp:  ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt7080a
"Having had the correct view is nothing meritorious: statistically,
 it is almost inevitable..."  -- Mr. Palomar,  On biting the tongue