On Thu, 2025-10-23 at 14:16 -0400, David Malcolm wrote:
> On Tue, 2025-10-21 at 16:29 -0400, David Malcolm wrote:
> > On Tue, 2025-10-21 at 13:57 -0500, Robert Dubner wrote:
> > > Ahoy the reviewers!
> > 
> > Hi Bob!
> > 
> > > 
> > > This is an "Is this okay for trunk?" request.
> > > 
> > > Although these changes affect code only in libcobol and
> > > gcc/cobol,
> > > we
> > > are
> > > adding some files and some new directories, and so there are
> > > changes
> > > to
> > > gcc/cobol/Make-lang.in and to libgcobol/Makefile.am.
> > > 
> > > So, we figured that this time we'd ask for permission ahead of
> > > time,
> > > instead of our usual practice, lately, of asking for forgiveness
> > > afterward.
> > > 
> > > I applied this patch to today's gcc/master.  I did a complete
> > > --enable-languages=cobol bootstrap/multilib build on an Ubuntu
> > > x86_64-pc-linux-gnu system.  "make check-cobol" worked after
> > > that.
> > 
> > Looking at https://gcc.gnu.org/git/?p=gcc.git;a=shortlog I don't
> > see
> > the patch, so am I right in thinking that by "today's gcc/master",
> > you're referring to the symas git repo? (sorry, I don't have the
> > URL
> > handy)
> > 
> > You didn't mention this in the cover letter, but skimming through
> > the
> > patch, I see this adds a dependency on libxml2 to libgcobol to e.g.
> > parse the XML.
> > 
> > Whenever a patch adds add a new dependency, the patch should also
> > add
> > a
> > mention of that dependency to gcc/doc/install.texi (presumably here
> > to
> > the "GCOBOL-prerequisite" item).
> > 
> > XML parsing is an area that tends to attract security vulnerability
> > reports (e.g. the "billion laughs" attack), and libxml2 is no
> > exception
> > to this.  See e.g. https://lwn.net/Articles/1025971/ for an account
> > of
> > the current status of upstream and its security posture.
> > 
> > I think the patch needs to be clear about whether the dependency on
> > libxml2 is optional, and whether libgcobol's linkage against
> > libxml2
> > is
> > static or dynamic.  I expect no shortage of future libxml2 CVEs,
> > and
> > people will want to know if they have to rebuild libgcobol to get
> > the
> > fix (static linkage), or if it happens automagically (dynamic
> > linkage).
> > I don't think gcc would want to add a statically-linked dependency
> > on
> > libxml2, given the many CVEs that project has had.
> > 
> > > 
> > > So, as far as I know, it's safe for me to apply this to
> > > gcc/master.
> > > 
> > > Okay for trunk?
> 
> Hi Bob 
> 
> I came away with the impression that there were (small but) concrete
> objections to the patch as-posted [1] and thus that it would be
> revised
> before reaching "trunk", but...
> 
> > 
> > That's not for me to say, but hopefully the above is
> > helpful/constructive.
> 
> ...I see looking here that I didn't word it that way; sorry for not
> being clearer.
> 
> Looking at https://gcc.gnu.org/cgit/gcc/log/ I see that the patch
> *is*
> now in gcc trunk (currently 4th from the top):
> https://gcc.gnu.org/cgit/gcc/commit/?id=b20c6458fa0a9e78253052f0493e921f75641828
> as commit r16-4582-gb20c6458fa0a9e78253052f0493e921f75641828, and as
> far as I can tell, it's in the form you posted to the list without
> the
> various nitpicks fixed.
> 
> Did you mean to push it into this repo's trunk, or was this a misfire
> in git? (git has a terrible UI...)
> 
> Is the plan to address the problems with the patch as followups on
> trunk (I can file bug reports if that would help), or to revert that
> commit on trunk and to redo the work on your own repo?  Either way
> probably works, and the former is probably easier, but right now the
> "review" on this patch is in a weird in-the-middle kind of state. 
> The
> way I see our process is that if someone points something out in
> patch
> review, it should be addressed before the patch reaches trunk (or the
> reviewer explicitly says that a particular nitpick can be left to be
> cleaned up in followup work).
> 
> Chatting with Jim earlier it sounds like XML support is a necessary
> feature for a cobol implementation to be credible, so the libxml2
> dependency should probably be mandatory if cobol is enabled at
> configure time, but optional for people building gcc without the
> cobol
> frontend (if that makes sense).
> 
> Sorry for not being clearer about my objections/nit-picks; and I hope
> this doesn't come across too much like dunking on the new(ish) guy
> (sorry if that's the case)
> 
> Dave
> 
> [1] IIRC, I wanted more explicit acknowledgement of the new libxml2
> dependency and its scope, and there were some stray files that Richi
> spotted

...and I see you've addressed almost all of this in your other email,
which I didn't see before sending the above one; sorry.

Dave

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