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I want extern "fil-C"

domenkozar · 63 points · 22 comments · 17 ore fa · Open original

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hechang199716 minuti fa

Check this out: https://github.com/IntegralPilot/rustc_codegen_jvm While this cannot compile C/C++, it can serve as a fil-C alternative for unsafe pure rust code. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49284966

Panzerschrek6 ore fa

Extern "fil-C" can't be compatible with Rust code or something similar. It requires a metadata block attached to each allocation. So, if a memory block has been allocated in Rust and a pointer to it is passed to a fil-C function, it can't access it correctly. The only way to allow such cross-langauge-and-abi calls is to compile Rust code itself like fil-C, which requires doubled memory consumption, expensive runtime checks and GC overhead.

andai9 ore fa

Why isn't fil-C ABI compatible with C? https://fil-c.org/runtime Apparently this was done intentionally. The rationale given is that we don't want to allow non-safe C to be used in fil-C programs. Fair enough. But why should we prevent fil-C programs to be used from Rust (or C, for that matter)? I don't understand much about compilers, but I guess allowing one would also allow the other? i.e. it's not possible to make fil-C ABI compatible with C (so that it can be more easily called), while also not letting you use call C from it?

pornel9 ore fa

There is a solution that Mozilla uses in prod for legacy C codecs: https://rlbox.dev/ It's not a replacement for Fil-C's role as a precise ASAN/Valgrind, but it works great if you want to call a C library without letting it freely spray caller's memory.

KateLawson7 ore fa

Any reason why you don't use clang's `-fbounds-safety`? It offers ABI compatibility and incremental adoption. The author of Fil-C worked on it also :-) https://clang.llvm.org/docs/BoundsSafety.html#overview