this is just a general comment on those contemplating adding
#ifdef to select option visibility based on the underlying system
please don't if at all possible
it's much preferable to let the option and documentation stand
with a warning that it may not be available on all systems
along with a stub for the possibly missing feature in scope
e.g., using iffe-style guard macros
#if !_lib_syscall_foo
int syscall_foo(/* syscall_foo formals */) { errno = ENOSYS; return -1; }
#endif
this simplifies the code using the feature in scope by localizing
#ifdefs to the feature itself
and greatly simplifies documentation management
by allowing one translation per target language
which then allows one reference manual for all implementations
e.g.,
ast unix and mainframe and windows users can and do refer to the same
documentation
the whole idea of ast is to smooth over such difference to provide
as much as possible the same api on all systems
of course this puts (a small) burden on the programmer/scripter/user
to check for error conditions on every library/system call
and sanely handle $? in scripts
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