Re: RFC 155 - Remove geometric functions from core

[Sam Tregar]

On Tue, 29 Aug 2000, David L. Nicol wrote:

> Well then.  It is impossible to rearchitect it to make it shared
> text?  Perhaps the first instance of perl sets up some vast shared
> memory segments and a way for the newcomers to link in to it and look
> at the modules that have been loaded, somewhere on this system, and use
> the common copy?

That approach invites big security problems.  Any system that involves one
program trusting another program to load executable code into their memory
space is vulnerable to attack.  This kind of thing works for forking
daemons running identical code since the forked process trusts the parent
process.  In the general case of a second perl program starting on a
machine, why would this second program trust the first program to not
load a poison module?

I don't believe you can simply "rearchitect it to make it shared text".

> This sounds like a problem to be fixed.  Relax, Tom, we'll take it from
> here.

Are you so sure?  From where I'm sitting he's got some pretty tough points
there.  If you've got a solution then I'm quite suprised, which would be
great.  If not then I suggest you avoid writing the proverbial bad check.

-sam