Re: test case bin3 failed in my x86_64 box

[Martin Hunt <hunt at redhat dot com>]

On Thu, 2006-04-27 at 16:52 -0400, Frank Ch. Eigler wrote:
> Hi -
> 
> > There is definitely a race condition if the script calls set_endian to
> > change endianness from probe that may be concurrent with another print.
> > This is not a safety issue though, just data correctness.
> 
> More than that: set_endian being an ordinary function call, one can
> imagine separately authored tapset probes to fight over it.

We cannot and should not attempt to prevent programmers from writing
nonsense. All we can do is make sure it is harmless nonsense.

> > [...] A compile-time flag doesn't allow this changing usage model
> > either - it just disables it completely.
> 
> I would look ati t more positively: it would give the user a one-time
> opportunity to set the default, not subject to the whims of script
> code.

I am guessing from "whims of script code" you expect the user will have
a better idea of what endianess to write binary data in. Why?  I expect
binary data to be used when the script must output an exactly formatted
binary file, and the endianess is not something that the user should be
able to change.