Bug#475101: obsolete linuxthreads requirement

[Simon Josefsson <simon@josefsson.org>]

Kurt Roeckx <kurt@roeckx.be> writes:

> On Tue, Apr 08, 2008 at 08:22:10PM -0400, Joey Hess wrote:
>> Package: debian-policy
>> Version: 3.7.3.0
>> Severity: normal
>> 
>>      You must specify the gcc option `-D_REENTRANT' when building a library
>>      (either static or shared) to make the library compatible with
>>      LinuxThreads.
>> 
>> AFAIK we don't use linuxthreads anymore, and I checked a few libraries and
>> failed to find them using such a flag.
>
> I think hppa still uses it.
>
> The -D_REENTRANT might also be used in other libraries that can be
> compiled to support threads or not.  But those might also be using some
> other options.  I think we should just say that all libraries should
> get build with thread support if they support it.

Do you have any references to the hppa case (in particular, does it
affect glibc/debian on hppa?), and which these libraries are?

I have tried to find modern references to what -D_REENTRANT actually
does, but haven't found any concrete examples of what breaks if you
don't use it.  I have now disabled it in gnutls.  Some potentially
relevant discussions in:

http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.encryption.gpg.gnutls.devel/2495
http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.gnulib.bugs/12892
http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.gnulib.bugs/12876

/Simon