Reported command inconsistency between mac os and Linux about sysinfo

[GuillaumeGomez]

The command line should include the args in linux as well.

[shahn]

Are you saying that right now it should? Because it doesn't. Note how copy_from_file() returns a Vec, and then there's a get(0) for its return value, so only the first element in the vector is actually used.

[shahn]

I can work on a patch to change that of course. What do you think of a separate field for arguments?

[GuillaumeGomez]

Great idea! Thanks a lot for finding this out!

[shahn]

Ok, I will make a pullrequest probably after sleep.

[GuillaumeGomez]

No need to hurry, take your time. :)

[shahn]

Just to make sure that I got right what you wanted: I will add an args field for arguments, and I will make it so that cmd on linux contains the arguments, too. Yes?

[GuillaumeGomez]

I wonder if cmd will still be needed actually... Since we have the arg and the executable's path, I guess it can just be removed. The only is that you'll have to actually parse a command line, which isn't great. Maybe you should just fix the cmd which should take the whole command line instead of just the first argument.

[shahn]

Well, I'm thinking that if someone has to parse the command line, it should be the library, not the user, right? Otherwise all the users who need the arguments have to parse them

[GuillaumeGomez]

But this isn't what this library is about. It doesn't parse such things, it just gathers information.

[shahn]

Ok, then I'll just fix the cmdline

[GuillaumeGomez]

Thanks! :)

[shahn]

Hrm! This is a bad idea actually I think. This is what happens on Mac OS currently:

$ ./testprogram "foo bar" foo bar
 command: ./testprogram foo bar foo bar

On linux the same thing would happen, as a library user you have absolutely no way to know when one argument stops and the next begins.

(testprogram just prints its own process information)

[GuillaumeGomez]

Huuuuu?! The quotes aren't kept?!

[shahn]

No, that's not how it works (otherwise every program would have to know how to handle them, that would be really awkward). They're eaten by the shell when it builds the arguments, so the process never sees them.

[GuillaumeGomez]

No don't worry, I know how it works (wrote a shell a few years ago). My point is that, I thought that when you check on a process information, the cmdline was untouched.

[shahn]

The linux/mac os kernel never sees the quotes, because they're gone before the process is launched by the shell. It's the same with a backspace to escape stuff.

[GuillaumeGomez]

Hum ok. On OSX it's easy to know when an argument ends since there is '\0' but I don't remember seeing such a thing in linux...

[shahn]

It's easy too, it's the same thing :) You even handle it in copy_from_file :)

[GuillaumeGomez]

Ah... Well then, cmdline should be converted from String to Vec<String> then. Such a shame I didn't pay more attention to it.

[shahn]

should we keep calling it cmdline or should it be args? Asking because a vec isn't a line anymore.

[GuillaumeGomez]

Well, it's still a command line at least. I think the wording should be kept, unless you have something better in mind?

[shahn]

Nope, it's cool. Ok, I'll see what I can do here :)

[GuillaumeGomez]

Thanks a lot!