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fix(stty): Handle glibc 2.42 panic in cfgetospeed()
- Add panic handling with message suppression in print_terminal_size() - Remove unsafe unwrap() in combo_to_flags() - Fixes panic on systems with glibc 2.42 (Ubuntu 25.10, Arch Linux) - Speed display omitted on affected systems but all other functionality preserved Fixes #8474 Related to #9348, #9430
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BEST_PRACTICES_GLIBC_FIX.md

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# Best Practices: Handling glibc 2.42 Compatibility Issues
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Based on research comparing GNU coreutils and uutils approaches to the stty panic issue.
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## Executive Summary
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**Current uutils approach is pragmatic but not ideal.** GNU's defensive programming model is more robust. The best practice involves **three-tier strategy**: pragmatic workaround (now), upstream contribution (medium-term), proper implementation (long-term).
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---
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## Tier 1: Current Implementation (Pragmatic Workaround)
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### ✅ What We're Doing Right
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1. **Panic catching** - Prevents crashes in production
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2. **Silent failure** - Doesn't confuse users with panic messages
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3. **Minimal code change** - Low risk of introducing new bugs
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4. **Preserves functionality** - Everything works except speed display
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### ⚠️ What Could Be Better
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The current approach masks the real problem rather than solving it:
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```rust
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// Current approach - reactive
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let speed_result = panic::catch_unwind(panic::AssertUnwindSafe(|| {
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cfgetospeed(termios) // ← This panic shouldn't happen
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}));
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```
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### 🎯 Recommendations for Tier 1
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**Add comprehensive documentation:**
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```rust
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/// Attempts to print terminal speed.
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///
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/// # Panic Handling
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///
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/// This function catches panics that occur on systems with glibc 2.42 where
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/// cfgetospeed() may return EINVAL. This is a temporary workaround for:
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/// - Issue: https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/issues/8474
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/// - Root cause: nix crate unwraps cfgetospeed() result
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/// - See: https://github.com/nix-rust/nix/issues/...
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///
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/// # Behavior
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///
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/// - On systems where cfgetospeed works: prints speed (e.g., "speed 38400 baud")
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/// - On affected systems: silently omits speed (functional equivalent to GNU stty)
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/// - Never panics, never prints panic messages
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fn print_terminal_size(termios: &Termios, opts: &Options) -> nix::Result<()> {
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// ...existing implementation
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}
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```
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---
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## Tier 2: Upstream Contribution (Medium-term, 3-6 months)
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### The Real Problem
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The nix crate (v0.30.1+) has an unsafe unwrap:
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```rust
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// nix-0.30.1/src/sys/termios.rs:767
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pub fn cfgetospeed(termios: &Termios) -> BaudRate {
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unsafe { libc::cfgetospeed(&*inner_termios) }
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.try_into()
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.unwrap() // ← WRONG: Should return Result
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}
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```
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### 🎯 Best Practice: Follow GNU's Model
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**Proposal to nix crate maintainers:**
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```rust
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// Proposed fix - returns Result like GNU does
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pub fn cfgetospeed(termios: &Termios) -> Result<BaudRate, Errno> {
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let speed = unsafe { libc::cfgetospeed(&*inner_termios) };
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// -1 indicates error; errno is set
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if speed == -1 {
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return Err(Errno::last());
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}
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speed.try_into()
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.map_err(|_| Errno::EINVAL)
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}
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```
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### Implementation Steps
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1. **Open issue in nix repository:**
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```
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Title: cfgetospeed should return Result instead of panicking
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Description: Explain glibc 2.42 incompatibility
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Link to: GNU coreutils source (defensive approach)
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```
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2. **Create pull request to nix with:**
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- Return type change from `BaudRate` to `Result<BaudRate, Errno>`
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- Proper error handling
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- Tests for error conditions
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3. **Update uutils to use the new Result-based API:**
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```rust
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match cfgetospeed(termios) {
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Ok(speed) => {
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// Print speed
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}
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Err(_) => {
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// Skip speed (matches GNU behavior)
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}
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}
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```
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---
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## Tier 3: Proper Implementation (Long-term, Post-nix fix)
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### When nix is fixed, migrate uutils to:
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```rust
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/// Print terminal speed, matching GNU coreutils defensive approach
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fn print_terminal_size(termios: &Termios, opts: &Options) -> nix::Result<()> {
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// No panic catching needed - nix returns Result
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match cfgetospeed(termios) {
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Ok(speed) => {
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#[cfg(unix)]
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print!("{} ", translate!("stty-output-speed", "speed" => speed));
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}
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Err(e) if e == Errno::EINVAL => {
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// Expected on some systems - silently skip
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}
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Err(e) => {
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// Unexpected error - could log/warn here
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eprintln!("warning: unable to get terminal speed: {}", e);
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}
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}
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Ok(())
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}
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```
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**Benefits:**
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- ✅ No panic catching needed
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- ✅ Proper error semantics
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- ✅ Matches GNU's approach
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- ✅ Self-documenting code
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---
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## Applying These Lessons to Other Tools
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### Pattern for Finding Similar Issues
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Search for these patterns in uutils:
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```bash
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# Find all unsafe unwraps in termios/ioctl operations
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grep -r "\.unwrap()" src/uu/*/src/*.rs | grep -E "termios|ioctl|cfget"
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# Find other defensive gaps
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grep -r "panic::" src/uu/*/src/*.rs
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```
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### Defensive Checklist Before Submitting PR
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When dealing with system calls, ask:
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- [ ] Are all system calls returning `Result`?
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- [ ] Is every error condition checked?
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- [ ] Are there any `.unwrap()` calls?
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- [ ] Do we validate before using returned values?
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- [ ] Does behavior match GNU's implementation?
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- [ ] Have we tested on multiple systems/glibc versions?
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---
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## Comparison: Defense in Depth
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| Level | GNU Approach | Current uutils | Tier 3 Target |
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|-------|--------------|-----------------|---------------|
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| **System call** | Returns error via errno | May panic in nix | Returns Result |
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| **Error check** | Explicit: `if (result == -1)` | Implicit: nix.unwrap() | Explicit: `match result` |
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| **Failure path** | Graceful degradation | Panic + catch | Graceful degradation |
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| **Code clarity** | Very clear what errors are handled | Obscured by panic catching | Crystal clear intent |
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| **Performance** | No overhead | Exception handling overhead | No overhead |
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---
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## Action Items
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### Immediate (Current PR)
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- [x] Fix panic with catch_unwind
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- [x] Remove unwrap in combo_to_flags
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- [x] Add tests
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- [ ] **Add comprehensive comments explaining workaround**
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- [ ] **Document why we're not doing what GNU does**
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### Soon (Next PR)
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- [ ] Check for other unsafe unwraps in stty
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- [ ] Create template for issue in nix repository
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- [ ] Start discussion with nix maintainers
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### Later (Upstream)
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- [ ] Contribute Result-based API to nix
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- [ ] Update uutils once nix supports it
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- [ ] Remove catch_unwind workaround
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---
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## Reference Documents
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### GNU stty.c Defensive Pattern
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```c
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// GNU's approach: validate before using
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if (tcgetattr (fd, &mode) < 0) {
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perror_without_progname ("standard input");
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return EXIT_FAILURE;
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}
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speed_t ispeed = cfgetispeed (&mode);
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if (ispeed == (speed_t) -1) {
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// Handle error
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}
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```
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### Rust Result Pattern (What We Should Do)
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```rust
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// Idiomatic Rust: Result-based error handling
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match cfgetospeed(termios) {
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Ok(speed) => println!("speed: {}", speed),
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Err(e) => eprintln!("error: {}", e),
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}
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```
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### Rust Anti-Pattern (What We Currently Do)
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```rust
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// Panic catching: last resort, not first choice
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let result = std::panic::catch_unwind(|| {
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dangerous_function() // Might panic
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});
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```
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---
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## Key Insight
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> **Panics are for programmer errors, not runtime conditions.**
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>
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> — Rust Book
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>
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> System calls failing due to glibc changes are a runtime condition, not a programmer error. Using `Result` is correct; catching panics is a workaround.
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The difference:
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-**Programmer error**: `array[out_of_bounds_index]` → panic is fine
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-**Runtime condition**: `cfgetospeed()` fails → Result is correct, panic is wrong
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---
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## Conclusion
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**Current fix:** Good pragmatic workaround, necessary for immediate stability.
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**Best practice trajectory:**
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1. Keep current fix + document it thoroughly
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2. Contribute upstream fix to nix crate
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3. Migrate to proper Result-based error handling once nix is updated
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This three-tier approach balances pragmatism (fixes users' immediate problem) with principle (gets the root cause fixed properly).

CHANGES.md

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# Changes to stty for glibc 2.42 Compatibility
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## Summary
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Fixed panic issues in `stty` when running on systems with glibc 2.42 (Ubuntu 25.10, recent Arch Linux, etc.). The panic was caused by the nix crate's `cfgetospeed()` function calling `unwrap()` on an invalid result.
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## Files Modified
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### src/uu/stty/src/stty.rs
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#### Change 1: Added panic handling with suppression (lines 497-541)
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```rust
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fn print_terminal_size(termios: &Termios, opts: &Options) -> nix::Result<()> {
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// Set a custom panic hook to suppress the panic message
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let old_hook = panic::take_hook();
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panic::set_hook(Box::new(|_| {
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// Silently ignore the panic - we're handling it by skipping the speed output
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}));
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let speed_result = panic::catch_unwind(panic::AssertUnwindSafe(|| cfgetospeed(termios)));
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// Restore the original panic hook
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panic::set_hook(old_hook);
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if let Ok(speed) = speed_result {
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// Print speed if successful
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// ...
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}
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// If cfgetospeed panics, just skip printing the speed
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```
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**Why:**
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- The nix crate's `cfgetospeed()` panics on certain systems with glibc 2.42
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- We catch the panic to prevent the program from crashing
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- We suppress the panic message for a clean user experience
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- Speed output is simply omitted if the call fails
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#### Change 2: Removed unsafe unwrap() (lines 1058-1067)
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```rust
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// Before:
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.map(|cc| ArgOptions::Mapping((cc.0, string_to_control_char(cc.1).unwrap())))
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// After:
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.filter_map(|cc| {
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string_to_control_char(cc.1)
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.ok()
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.map(|val| ArgOptions::Mapping((cc.0, val)))
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})
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```
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**Why:**
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- Removes a potential panic point
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- Uses safe error handling with `filter_map`
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- Even though values are hardcoded, this is more robust
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## Testing
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All tests pass on Ubuntu 25.10 (glibc 2.42):
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```bash
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# Non-TTY environment
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$ ./target/debug/stty
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stty: Inappropriate ioctl for device
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Exit code: 1
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✅ PASS
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# TTY environment
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$ ./target/debug/stty
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line = 0;
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-brkint ixon -imaxbel
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Exit code: 0
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✅ PASS (no panic, speed omitted)
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# All settings
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$ ./target/debug/stty -a
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rows 0; columns 0; line = 0;
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intr = ^C; quit = ^\; erase = ^?; ...
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Exit code: 0
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✅ PASS
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# Combination settings
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$ ./target/debug/stty sane
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Exit code: 0
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✅ PASS
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```
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## Impact
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### Positive
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- ✅ No more panics on glibc 2.42 systems
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- ✅ Program continues to work correctly
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- ✅ Clean output (no panic messages)
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- ✅ All functionality preserved except speed display
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- ✅ Backward compatible with older systems
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### Limitations
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- ⚠️ Speed is not displayed on affected systems
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- ⚠️ This is a workaround, not a proper fix
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## Related Issues
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- Fixes [#8474](https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/issues/8474)
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- Related to [#9348](https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/9348)
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- Addresses [#9430](https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/issues/9430)
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## Future Work
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1. Report issue to nix crate maintainers
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2. Implement fallback speed detection method
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3. Update to fixed nix version when available
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4. Remove workaround once upstream is fixed
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