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Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability

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Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> writes:

> Hi all,
>
> I've just submitted my paper n3089, "_Optional: a type qualifier to
> indicate pointer nullability"  to the WG14 committee.  [...]
>
> I wrote a Medium article with much the same content as my paper,
> which is published here:
> https://medium.com/itnext/why-c-needs-a-new-type-qualifier-61ad553cbe71
>
> [...]

I looked at the article on Medium and also n3089.  I've read through
most of the postings in the thread here, not necessarily thoroughly
but sometimes only skimming.

What you're proposing is fundamentally broken.  There are two
reasons for this:

One, how the _Optional qualifier works is radically different from
how other type qualifiers work.  That by itself is enough to make
the new feature a non-starter.

Two, I'm not sure I follow what the rules are for how compilers have
to treat _Optional pointers, but it seems one of two things is true.
Either the new feature breaks a lot of existing code, or it doesn't
affect the semantics of the program, in the sense that adding or
taking away _Optional has no effect on whether the behavior is
defined, or what the behavior is, or whether the program may be
rejected.  Breaking existing code is an absolute deal breaker.  But
the other alternative is useless, because there are no consequences;
any warnings produced can be safely ignored, and that's what people
will do, and compilers will have an option to suppress the warnings.

These issues are not minor points that can be patched up.  To be
successful the question needs to be completely re-thought.

By the way, regarding the written proposal (and article), considered
separately from what is being proposed, I'm sorry to be blunt but
it's awful.  I'm thinking of writing a short essay about how to
write these things but I haven't done that yet.  Hopefully soon.

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[RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-28 08:15 -0800
  Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-28 11:31 -0500
    Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 01:02 -0800
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-29 13:00 -0500
        Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 12:48 -0800
          Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-29 16:37 -0500
            Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 14:18 -0800
              Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-29 18:00 -0500
              Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-01-30 00:00 +0000
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-30 14:57 -0800
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Kaz Kylheku <864-117-4973@kylheku.com> - 2023-01-30 23:28 +0000
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-30 23:39 -0800
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability James Kuyper <jameskuyper@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2023-01-31 12:19 -0500
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-31 09:39 -0800
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Kaz Kylheku <864-117-4973@kylheku.com> - 2023-02-01 01:59 +0000
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-30 21:05 -0500
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-31 00:05 -0800
              Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability James Kuyper <jameskuyper@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2023-01-30 02:13 -0500
          Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Andrew Smallshaw <andrews@sdf.org> - 2023-01-29 21:52 +0000
            Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 14:44 -0800
        Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 13:17 -0800
          Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-29 16:48 -0500
            Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 14:36 -0800
              Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-29 18:10 -0500
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-01-29 23:33 +0000
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-29 18:50 -0500
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-01-30 01:05 +0000
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-29 21:02 -0500
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-01-30 14:11 +0000
                Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-30 15:22 -0800
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability James Kuyper <jameskuyper@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2023-01-30 02:19 -0500
        Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Malcolm McLean <malcolm.arthur.mclean@gmail.com> - 2023-01-30 03:16 -0800
          Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Harnden <richard.nospam@gmail.com> - 2023-01-30 12:48 +0000
            Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-01-30 14:19 +0000
              Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Harnden <richard.nospam@gmail.com> - 2023-01-30 18:10 +0000
        Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-30 15:05 -0800
          Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability James Kuyper <jameskuyper@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2023-01-31 01:15 -0500
  Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-01-29 02:24 +0000
    Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 01:21 -0800
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-01-29 13:35 +0000
        Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 07:21 -0800
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-01-29 13:46 +0000
        Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 06:54 -0800
  Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Oğuz <oguzismailuysal@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 12:24 +0300
    Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 07:55 -0800
    Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 08:03 -0800
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Oğuz <oguzismailuysal@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 20:43 +0300
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 19:03 -0800
        Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-29 22:23 -0500
  Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Thiago Adams <thiago.adams@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 12:53 -0800
    Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 13:31 -0800
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Thiago Adams <thiago.adams@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 13:42 -0800
        Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 14:27 -0800
          Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Thiago Adams <thiago.adams@gmail.com> - 2023-01-31 04:56 -0800
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Thiago Adams <thiago.adams@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 13:46 -0800
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2023-01-29 16:54 -0500
  Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> - 2023-01-31 07:54 -0800
    Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Christopher Bazley <cs99cjb@gmail.com> - 2023-01-31 09:25 -0800
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability bart c <bart4858@gmail.com> - 2023-01-31 14:44 -0800
        Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2023-02-01 09:45 +0100
      Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability James Kuyper <jameskuyper@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2023-01-31 18:00 -0500
        Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Malcolm McLean <malcolm.arthur.mclean@gmail.com> - 2023-01-31 15:52 -0800
          Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2023-02-01 00:04 +0000
            Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2023-02-01 09:29 +0100
              Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Malcolm McLean <malcolm.arthur.mclean@gmail.com> - 2023-02-01 02:31 -0800
  Re: [RFC] _Optional: a type qualifier to indicate pointer nullability Siri Cruise <chine.bleu@yahoo.com> - 2023-01-31 18:07 -0800

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