mirror of
https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg.git
synced 2024-12-23 12:43:46 +02:00
doc: Add initial documentation explaining undefined behavior and SUINT
Requested-by: Kieran Kunhya <kierank@obe.tv> Signed-off-by: Michael Niedermayer <michael@niedermayer.cc>
This commit is contained in:
parent
ef1b4bdf44
commit
1196e53b70
47
doc/undefined.txt
Normal file
47
doc/undefined.txt
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
|
||||
Undefined Behavior
|
||||
------------------
|
||||
In the C language, some operations are undefined, like signed integer overflow,
|
||||
dereferencing freed pointers, accessing outside allocated space, ...
|
||||
|
||||
Undefined Behavior must not occur in a C program, it is not safe even if the
|
||||
output of undefined operations is unused. The unsafety may seem nit picking
|
||||
but Optimizing compilers have in fact optimized code on the assumption that
|
||||
no undefined Behavior occurs.
|
||||
Optimizing code based on wrong assumptions can and has in some cases lead to
|
||||
effects beyond the output of computations.
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
The signed integer overflow problem in speed critical code
|
||||
----------------------------------------------------------
|
||||
Code which is highly optimized and works with signed integers sometimes has the
|
||||
problem that some (invalid) inputs can trigger overflows (undefined behavior).
|
||||
In these cases, often the output of the computation does not matter (as it is
|
||||
from invalid input).
|
||||
In some cases the input can be checked easily in others checking the input is
|
||||
computationally too intensive.
|
||||
In these remaining cases a unsigned type can be used instead of a signed type.
|
||||
unsigned overflows are defined in C.
|
||||
|
||||
SUINT
|
||||
-----
|
||||
As we have above established there is a need to use "unsigned" sometimes in
|
||||
computations which work with signed integers (which overflow).
|
||||
Using "unsigned" for signed integers has the very significant potential to
|
||||
cause confusion
|
||||
as in
|
||||
unsigned a,b,c;
|
||||
...
|
||||
a+b*c;
|
||||
The reader does not expect b to be semantically -5 here and if the code is
|
||||
changed by maybe adding a cast, a division or other the signedness will almost
|
||||
certainly be mistaken.
|
||||
To avoid this confusion a new type was introduced, "SUINT" is the C "unsigned"
|
||||
type but it holds a signed "int".
|
||||
to use the same example
|
||||
SUINT a,b,c;
|
||||
...
|
||||
a+b*c;
|
||||
here the reader knows that a,b,c are meant to be signed integers but for C
|
||||
standard compliance / to avoid undefined behavior they are stored in unsigned
|
||||
ints.
|
||||
|
Loading…
Reference in New Issue
Block a user