Debian bug report logs - #1735
apropos(1) segfaults

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From chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk!ian Sun Oct 22 19:47:20 1995
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Date: Mon, 23 Oct 95 02:47 GMT
From: Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk>
To: debian-bugs@Pixar.com
Subject: Re: Bug#1735: apropos(1) segfaults

Andrew Howell writes ("Bug#1735: apropos(1) segfaults"):
> Bill Mitchell writes:
> > root:/root# apropos crap
> > Segmentation fault (core dumped)
> > root:/root#
> > Script done on Sun Oct 22 18:55:58 1995
> 
> I've had this problem before as well, but I discovered that the man database
> was screwed up and forcing it to rebuild it with mandb fixed it. Still it
> shouldn't really core dump even if the database is corrupt.

Then there are at least two or three bugs:

1a. The database got corrupted.
1b. The database didn't get fixed because the corruption wasn't
    detected, or because no appropriate action was taken.  If
    corruption is made sufficiently rare then having it automatically
    un-corrupt it on demand is less necessary.  This is obviously
    better than having it get corrupted and then be fixed.

2. `apropos' dumps core when fed a corrupted database.

Ian.

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From kryten.it.com.au!andrew Sun Oct 22 19:21:37 1995
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From: andrew@kryten.it.com.au (Andrew Howell)
Subject: Re: Bug#1735: apropos(1) segfaults
To: mitchell@mdd.comm.mot.com, debian-bugs@pixar.com
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 10:16:03 +0800 (WST)
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951022185738.12098A-100000@bb29c> from "Bill Mitchell" at Oct 22, 95 06:58:46 pm
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Bill Mitchell writes:
> PACKAGE: man
> VERSION: 2.3.10-2
> 
> Script started on Sun Oct 22 18:55:28 1995
> root:/root# apropos inode
> utime (2)            - change access and/or modification times of an inode
> Segmentation fault (core dumped)
> root:/root# apropos cat
> Segmentation fault (core dumped)
> root:/root# apropos crap
> Segmentation fault (core dumped)
> root:/root#
> Script done on Sun Oct 22 18:55:58 1995
> 
> mitchell@mdd.comm.mot.com (Bill Mitchell)

I've had this problem before as well, but I discovered that the man database
was screwed up and forcing it to rebuild it with mandb fixed it. Still it
shouldn't really core dump even if the database is corrupt.

Andrew

-- 
Dehydration - 34%, Recollection of previous evening - 2%, embarrassment
factor - 91%.  Advise repair schedule:- off line for 36 hours, re-boot
startup disk, and replace head - wow, what a night!
                -- Kryten in Red Dwarf `The Last Day'

Andrew Howell				               andrew@it.com.au 
Perth, Western Australia		      howellaa@cs.curtin.edu.au 

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Date: Sun, 22 Oct 1995 18:58:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bill Mitchell <mitchell@mdd.comm.mot.com>
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To: debian-bugs@pixar.com
Subject: apropos(1) segfaults
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PACKAGE:  man
VERSION:  2.3.10-2

Script started on Sun Oct 22 18:55:28 1995
root:/root# apropos inode
utime (2)            - change access and/or modification times of an inode
Segmentation fault (core dumped)
root:/root# apropos cat
Segmentation fault (core dumped)
root:/root# apropos crap
Segmentation fault (core dumped)
root:/root# 
Script done on Sun Oct 22 18:55:58 1995

mitchell@mdd.comm.mot.com (Bill Mitchell)