[Python-Dev] test_builtin failing? or just 64-bit platforms

Guido van Rossum guido@python.org
Sun, 02 Dec 2001 18:57:41 -0500


> -1 isn't mentioned at all.  What does the final C99 say?  Regardless, MS's
> pre-C99 implementation says:
[...]
> So -1 sounds Linux-specific.

Being a Unix old-timer, I cringe every time I see someone test for
errors using "== -1".  Except for anomalies like getpid() (which in
the olden days could return any negative value except -1 as a
legitimate pid), for the caller *any* negative value should be
interpreted as an error, and tested for with "< 0".  Never mind that
most functions return -1.  -1000 is just as much an error.

Unhelpfully,

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)