This is libc.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.0 from libc.texinfo.

INFO-DIR-SECTION GNU libraries
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Libc: (libc).                 C library.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

   This file documents the GNU C library.

   This is Edition 0.10, last updated 2001-07-06, of `The GNU C Library
Reference Manual', for Version 2.2.x.

   Copyright (C) 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002
Free Software Foundation, Inc.

   Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
Invariant Sections being "Free Software Needs Free Documentation" and
"GNU Lesser General Public License", the Front-Cover texts being (a)
(see below), and with the Back-Cover Texts being (b) (see below).  A
copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free
Documentation License".

   (a) The FSF's Front-Cover Text is:

   A GNU Manual

   (b) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is:

   You have freedom to copy and modify this GNU Manual, like GNU
software.  Copies published by the Free Software Foundation raise
funds for GNU development.


File: libc.info,  Node: Contributors,  Next: Free Manuals,  Prev: Maintenance,  Up: Top

Contributors to the GNU C Library
*********************************

   The GNU C library was written originally by Roland McGrath, and is
currently maintained by Ulrich Drepper.  Some parts of the library were
contributed or worked on by other people.

   * The `getopt' function and related code was written by Richard
     Stallman, David J. MacKenzie, and Roland McGrath.

   * The merge sort function `qsort' was written by Michael J. Haertel.

   * The quick sort function used as a fallback by `qsort' was written
     by Douglas C. Schmidt.

   * The memory allocation functions `malloc', `realloc' and `free' and
     related code were written by Michael J. Haertel, Wolfram Gloger,
     and Doug Lea.

   * Fast implementations of many of the string functions (`memcpy',
     `strlen', etc.) were written by Torbjo"rn Granlund.

   * The `tar.h' header file was written by David J. MacKenzie.

   * The port to the MIPS DECStation running Ultrix 4
     (`mips-dec-ultrix4') was contributed by Brendan Kehoe and Ian
     Lance Taylor.

   * The DES encryption function `crypt' and related functions were
     contributed by Michael Glad.

   * The `ftw' and `nftw' functions were contributed by Ulrich Drepper.

   * The startup code to support SunOS shared libraries was contributed
     by Tom Quinn.

   * The `mktime' function was contributed by Paul Eggert.

   * The port to the Sequent Symmetry running Dynix version 3
     (`i386-sequent-bsd') was contributed by Jason Merrill.

   * The timezone support code is derived from the public-domain
     timezone package by Arthur David Olson and his many contributors.

   * The port to the DEC Alpha running OSF/1 (`alpha-dec-osf1') was
     contributed by Brendan Kehoe, using some code written by Roland
     McGrath.

   * The port to SGI machines running Irix 4 (`mips-sgi-irix4') was
     contributed by Tom Quinn.

   * The port of the Mach and Hurd code to the MIPS architecture
     (`mips-ANYTHING-gnu') was contributed by Kazumoto Kojima.

   * The floating-point printing function used by `printf' and friends
     and the floating-point reading function used by `scanf', `strtod'
     and friends were written by Ulrich Drepper.  The multi-precision
     integer functions used in those functions are taken from GNU MP,
     which was contributed by Torbjo"rn Granlund.

   * The internationalization support in the library, and the support
     programs `locale' and `localedef', were written by Ulrich Drepper.
     Ulrich Drepper adapted the support code for message catalogs
     (`libintl.h', etc.) from the GNU `gettext' package, which he also
     wrote.  He also contributed the `catgets' support and the entire
     suite of multi-byte and wide-character support functions
     (`wctype.h', `wchar.h', etc.).

   * The implementations of the `nsswitch.conf' mechanism and the files
     and DNS backends for it were designed and written by Ulrich
     Drepper and Roland McGrath, based on a backend interface defined
     by Peter Eriksson.

   * The port to Linux i386/ELF (`i386-ANYTHING-linux') was contributed
     by Ulrich Drepper, based in large part on work done in Hongjiu
     Lu's Linux version of the GNU C Library.

   * The port to Linux/m68k (`m68k-ANYTHING-linux') was contributed by
     Andreas Schwab.

   * The ports to Linux/ARM (`arm-ANYTHING-linuxaout') and ARM
     standalone (`arm-ANYTHING-none'), as well as parts of the IPv6
     support code, were contributed by Philip Blundell.

   * Richard Henderson contributed the ELF dynamic linking code and
     other support for the Alpha processor.

   * David Mosberger-Tang contributed the port to Linux/Alpha
     (`alpha-ANYTHING-linux').

   * The port to Linux on PowerPC (`powerpc-ANYTHING-linux') was
     contributed by Geoffrey Keating.

   * Miles Bader wrote the argp argument-parsing package, and the
     argz/envz interfaces.

   * Stephen R. van den Berg contributed a highly-optimized `strstr'
     function.

   * Ulrich Drepper contributed the `hsearch' and `drand48' families of
     functions; reentrant `...`_r'' versions of the `random' family;
     System V shared memory and IPC support code; and several
     highly-optimized string functions for iX86 processors.

   * The math functions are taken from `fdlibm-5.1' by Sun
     Microsystems, as modified by J.T. Conklin, Ian Lance Taylor,
     Ulrich Drepper, Andreas Schwab, and Roland McGrath.

   * The `libio' library used to implement `stdio' functions on some
     platforms was written by Per Bothner and modified by Ulrich
     Drepper.

   * Eric Youngdale and Ulrich Drepper implemented versioning of
     objects on  symbol level.

   * Thorsten Kukuk provided an implementation for NIS (YP) and NIS+,
     securelevel 0, 1 and 2.

   * Andreas Jaeger provided a test suite for the math library.

   * Mark Kettenis implemented the utmpx interface and an utmp daemon.

   * Ulrich Drepper added character conversion functions (`iconv').

   * Thorsten Kukuk provided an implementation for a caching daemon for
     NSS (nscd).

   * Tim Waugh provided an implementation of the POSIX.2 wordexp
     function family.

   * Mark Kettenis provided a Hesiod NSS module.

   * The Internet-related code (most of the `inet' subdirectory) and
     several other miscellaneous functions and header files have been
     included from 4.4 BSD with little or no modification.

     All code incorporated from 4.4 BSD is under the following
     copyright:

               Copyright (C) 1991 Regents of the University of California.
               All rights reserved.

          Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or
          without modification, are permitted provided that the
          following conditions are met:

            1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above
               copyright notice, this list of conditions and the
               following disclaimer.

            2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
               copyright notice, this list of conditions and the
               following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other
               materials provided with the distribution.

            3. [This condition was removed.]

            4. Neither the name of the University nor the names of its
               contributors may be used to endorse or promote products
               derived from this software without specific prior
               written permission.

          THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE REGENTS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS
          IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
          LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
          FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT
          SHALL THE REGENTS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT,
          INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
          DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
          SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS;
          OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
          LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
          (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF
          THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY
          OF SUCH DAMAGE.

   * The random number generation functions `random', `srandom',
     `setstate' and `initstate', which are also the basis for the
     `rand' and `srand' functions, were written by Earl T. Cohen for
     the University of California at Berkeley and are copyrighted by the
     Regents of the University of California.  They have undergone minor
     changes to fit into the GNU C library and to fit the ISO C
     standard, but the functional code is Berkeley's.

   * The DNS resolver code is taken directly from BIND 4.9.5, which is
     under both the Berkeley copyright above and also:

          Portions Copyright (C) 1993 by Digital Equipment Corporation.

          Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software
          for any purpose with or without fee is hereby granted,
          provided that the above copyright notice and this permission
          notice appear in all copies, and that the name of Digital
          Equipment Corporation not be used in advertising or publicity
          pertaining to distribution of the document or software
          without specific, written prior permission.

          THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORP.
          DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE,
          INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
          FITNESS.  IN NO EVENT SHALL DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION BE
          LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
          DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE,
          DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE
          OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
          WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

   * The code to support Sun RPC is taken verbatim from Sun's
     RPCSRC-4.0 distribution, and is covered by this copyright:

               Copyright (C) 1984, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

          Sun RPC is a product of Sun Microsystems, Inc. and is
          provided for unrestricted use provided that this legend is
          included on all tape media and as a part of the software
          program in whole or part.  Users may copy or modify Sun RPC
          without charge, but are not authorized to license or
          distribute it to anyone else except as part of a product or
          program developed by the user.

          SUN RPC IS PROVIDED AS IS WITH NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND
          INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF DESIGN, MERCHANTIBILITY AND
          FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR ARISING FROM A COURSE OF
          DEALING, USAGE OR TRADE PRACTICE.

          Sun RPC is provided with no support and without any
          obligation on the part of Sun Microsystems, Inc. to assist in
          its use, correction, modification or enhancement.

          SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC. SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT
          TO THE INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHTS, TRADE SECRETS OR ANY
          PATENTS BY SUN RPC OR ANY PART THEREOF.

          In no event will Sun Microsystems, Inc. be liable for any
          lost revenue or profits or other special, indirect and
          consequential damages, even if Sun has been advised of the
          possibility of such damages.

               Sun Microsystems, Inc.
               2550 Garcia Avenue
               Mountain View, California  94043

   * Some of the support code for Mach is taken from Mach 3.0 by CMU,
     and is under the following copyright terms:

               Mach Operating System
               Copyright (C) 1991,1990,1989 Carnegie Mellon University
               All Rights Reserved.

          Permission to use, copy, modify and distribute this software
          and its documentation is hereby granted, provided that both
          the copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all
          copies of the software, derivative works or modified
          versions, and any portions thereof, and that both notices
          appear in supporting documentation.

          CARNEGIE MELLON ALLOWS FREE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE IN ITS "AS
          IS" CONDITION.  CARNEGIE MELLON DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY OF
          ANY KIND FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM THE USE OF
          THIS SOFTWARE.

          Carnegie Mellon requests users of this software to return to

                Software Distribution Coordinator
                School of Computer Science
                Carnegie Mellon University
                Pittsburgh PA 15213-3890

          or <Software.Distribution@CS.CMU.EDU> any improvements or
          extensions that they make and grant Carnegie Mellon the
          rights to redistribute these changes.

   * The code for the database library `libdb' comes from the 2.3
     release of Berkeley DB. That code is under the same copyright as
     4.4 BSD and also:

               Copyright (C) 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
               Sleepycat Software.  All rights reserved.

          Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or
          without modification, are permitted provided that the
          following conditions are met:

            1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above
               copyright notice, this list of conditions and the
               following disclaimer.

            2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
               copyright notice, this list of conditions and the
               following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other
               materials provided with the distribution.

            3. Redistributions in any form must be accompanied by
               information on how to obtain complete source code for
               the DB software and any accompanying software that uses
               the DB software.  The source code must either be
               included in the distribution or be available for no more
               than the cost of distribution plus a nominal fee, and
               must be freely redistributable under reasonable
               conditions.  For an executable file, complete source
               code means the source code for all modules it contains.
               It does not mean source code for modules or files that
               typically accompany the operating system on which the
               executable file runs, e.g., standard library modules or
               system header files.

          THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY SLEEPYCAT SOFTWARE "AS IS" AND
          ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
          TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR
          A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL
          SLEEPYCAT SOFTWARE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT,
          INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
          (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE
          GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
          INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY,
          WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
          NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF
          THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
          DAMAGE.

               Portions copyright (C) 1995, 1996
               The President and Fellows of Harvard University.
               All rights reserved.

          Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or
          without modification, are permitted provided that the
          following conditions are met:
            1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above
               copyright notice, this list of conditions and the
               following disclaimer.

            2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
               copyright notice, this list of conditions and the
               following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other
               materials provided with the distribution.

            3. All advertising materials mentioning features or use of
               this software must display the following acknowledgement:
                     This product includes software developed by
                    Harvard University  and its contributors.

            4. Neither the name of the University nor the names of its
               contributors may be used to endorse or promote products
               derived from this software without specific prior
               written permission.

          THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY HARVARD AND ITS CONTRIBUTORS "AS
          IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
          LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
          FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT
          SHALL HARVARD OR ITS CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT,
          INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
          DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
          SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS;
          OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
          LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
          (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF
          THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY
          OF SUCH DAMAGE.

          For a license to use, redistribute or sell DB software under
          conditions other than those described above, or to purchase
          support for this software, please contact Sleepycat Software
          at

                Sleepycat Software
                394 E. Riding Dr.
                Carlisle, MA 01741
                USA
                +1-508-287-4781

          or <db@sleepycat.com>.




File: libc.info,  Node: Free Manuals,  Next: Copying,  Prev: Contributors,  Up: Top

Free Software Needs Free Documentation
**************************************

   The biggest deficiency in the free software community today is not in
the software--it is the lack of good free documentation that we can
include with the free software.  Many of our most important programs do
not come with free reference manuals and free introductory texts.
Documentation is an essential part of any software package; when an
important free software package does not come with a free manual and a
free tutorial, that is a major gap.  We have many such gaps today.

   Consider Perl, for instance.  The tutorial manuals that people
normally use are non-free.  How did this come about?  Because the
authors of those manuals published them with restrictive terms--no
copying, no modification, source files not available--which exclude
them from the free software world.

   That wasn't the first time this sort of thing happened, and it was
far from the last.  Many times we have heard a GNU user eagerly
describe a manual that he is writing, his intended contribution to the
community, only to learn that he had ruined everything by signing a
publication contract to make it non-free.

   Free documentation, like free software, is a matter of freedom, not
price.  The problem with the non-free manual is not that publishers
charge a price for printed copies--that in itself is fine.  (The Free
Software Foundation sells printed copies of manuals, too.)  The problem
is the restrictions on the use of the manual.  Free manuals are
available in source code form, and give you permission to copy and
modify.  Non-free manuals do not allow this.

   The criteria of freedom for a free manual are roughly the same as for
free software.  Redistribution (including the normal kinds of
commercial redistribution) must be permitted, so that the manual can
accompany every copy of the program, both on-line and on paper.

   Permission for modification of the technical content is crucial too.
When people modify the software, adding or changing features, if they
are conscientious they will change the manual too--so they can provide
accurate and clear documentation for the modified program.  A manual
that leaves you no choice but to write a new manual to document a
changed version of the program is not really available to our community.

   Some kinds of limits on the way modification is handled are
acceptable.  For example, requirements to preserve the original
author's copyright notice, the distribution terms, or the list of
authors, are ok.  It is also no problem to require modified versions to
include notice that they were modified.  Even entire sections that may
not be deleted or changed are acceptable, as long as they deal with
nontechnical topics (like this one).  These kinds of restrictions are
acceptable because they don't obstruct the community's normal use of
the manual.

   However, it must be possible to modify all the _technical_ content
of the manual, and then distribute the result in all the usual media,
through all the usual channels.  Otherwise, the restrictions obstruct
the use of the manual, it is not free, and we need another manual to
replace it.

   Please spread the word about this issue.  Our community continues to
lose manuals to proprietary publishing.  If we spread the word that
free software needs free reference manuals and free tutorials, perhaps
the next person who wants to contribute by writing documentation will
realize, before it is too late, that only free manuals contribute to
the free software community.

   If you are writing documentation, please insist on publishing it
under the GNU Free Documentation License or another free documentation
license.  Remember that this decision requires your approval--you don't
have to let the publisher decide.  Some commercial publishers will use
a free license if you insist, but they will not propose the option; it
is up to you to raise the issue and say firmly that this is what you
want.  If the publisher you are dealing with refuses, please try other
publishers.  If you're not sure whether a proposed license is free,
write to <licensing@gnu.org>.

   You can encourage commercial publishers to sell more free, copylefted
manuals and tutorials by buying them, and particularly by buying copies
from the publishers that paid for their writing or for major
improvements.  Meanwhile, try to avoid buying non-free documentation at
all.  Check the distribution terms of a manual before you buy it, and
insist that whoever seeks your business must respect your freedom.
Check the history of the book, and try reward the publishers that have
paid or pay the authors to work on it.

   The Free Software Foundation maintains a list of free documentation
published by other publishers, at
<http://www.fsf.org/doc/other-free-books.html>.

