[net.unix-wizards] stdio.h hacker in agony

turner@ucbesvax.UUCP (03/02/84)

4.2BSD <stdio.h> has this gem of a non-comment:
    ...
    #ifdef vax
    char	*sprintf();		/* too painful to do right */
    #endif

I am curious--just what is "doing it right" in this case?
---
Michael Turner (ucbvax!ucbesvax.turner)

jhh@ihldt.UUCP (John Haller) (03/04/84)

sprintf is supposed to return the number of characters put in
the array, except the null byte at the end.  Changing to this breaks
many programs which depend on sprintf returning the array passed
to it.  Another System V/4.x BSD incompatibility.

			John Haller