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RE: Is getpass(3) really obsolete?

From
rsbecker@nexbridge.com <rsbecker@nexbridge.com>
Date
Oct 29, 2021, 12:10 UTC
Message-ID
<00d501d7ccbe$0169c340$043d49c0$@nexbridge.com>
In-Reply-To
<73ac38a2-c287-4cc1-4e9c-0f9766ac4c0c@gmail.com>
On October 29, 2021 7:29 AM, Alejandro Colomar wrote:
Show 27 quoted lines
> On 10/29/21 13:15, Alejandro Colomar wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > As the manual pages says, SUSv2 marked it as LEGACY, and POSIX doesn't
> > have it at all.  The manual page goes further and says "This function
> > is obsolete. Do not use it." in its first lines.
> >
> > But, glibc doesn't seem to have deprecated this function at all.  And
> > it seems to be the most portable way to get a password, even if it's
> > not in POSIX.
> >
> > BSDs have readpassphrase(3), but glibc doesn't, so unless you
> > recommend
> 
> OpenBSD also marks getpass(3) as obsolete and recommends
> readpassphrase(3):
> <https://man.openbsd.org/getpass>
> 
> > using readpassphrase(3) from libbsd, or plan to add it to glibc, I
> > think
> > getpass(3) should be the recommended function in Linux, and therefore
> > we should remove the hard words against it.
> >
> > As a real example, git(1) uses getpass(3).
> > <https://github.com/git/git/blob/master/compat/terminal.c>
> >
> > What are your thoughts?
getpass() is obsolete in POSIX.2. However, some platforms still are on POSIX.1, so replacing it instead of providing a configure detection/switch for it might cause issues.
-Randall
Previous: Joseph MyersNext: Eugene Syromyatnikov
Message 7 of 20 in “Re: Is getpass(3) really obsolete?”
  1. Alejandro Colomar (man-pages)Oct 29, 2021
  2. Ævar Arnfjörð BjarmasonOct 29, 2021
  3. Alejandro Colomar (man-pages)Oct 29, 2021
  4. Joseph MyersOct 29, 2021
  5. Alejandro Colomar (man-pages)Oct 30, 2021
  6. Joseph MyersNov 1, 2021
  7. rsbecker@nexbridge.comOct 29, 2021
  8. Eugene SyromyatnikovOct 29, 2021
  9. Theo de RaadtOct 29, 2021
  10. rsbecker@nexbridge.comOct 29, 2021
  11. Theo de RaadtOct 29, 2021
  12. rsbecker@nexbridge.comOct 29, 2021
  13. Alejandro Colomar (man-pages)Oct 29, 2021
  14. rsbecker@nexbridge.comOct 29, 2021
  15. Zack WeinbergOct 29, 2021
  16. readpassphrase(3) in glibc, and agetpass() (Was: Is getpass(3) really obsolete?)Alejandro Colomar, Sep 27, 2022
  17. Alex ColomarSep 27, 2022
  18. Sam JamesSep 27, 2022
  19. getpass.3: SYNOPSIS: Mark getpass() as [[deprecated]]Alejandro Colomar, Oct 29, 2021
  20. Jeff KingOct 29, 2021

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