Re: [patch/rfc] Remove all setup_xfail's from testsuite/gdb.mi/

Fernando Nasser
2003-01-16T14:20:10Z

Michael Elizabeth Chastain wrote:
>
> I agree with Fernando that it's okay to tie every XFAIL to a gdb PR
> and turn it into a KFAIL (at least, I think he is saying that).
>

Right.

> Let's take a specific case. gdb.base/constvars.exp has a lot of
> tests such as "const char * foo ; ptype foo". With gcc 2.95.3/stabs+,
> the "ptype" prints "char * foo". This happens because gcc 2.95.3/stabs+
> does not put any const information in the stabs. This is probably never
> going to get fixed in the gcc 2 series.
>

That is a true XFAIL, but it should be conditional to version 2 compilers and
stabs, so that it does not show as XPASS everywhere else.

> Now the real problem comes to light. 'K' and 'X' are really orthogonal.
> 'K' means that we know about the problem, and 'X' means that it is
> a problem in an external tool, and these two things are separate.
> But we made them an either/or, so we have to choose.
>
> I'd rather have this become a KFAIL with reference to a gdb PR. Then
> the gdb PR can say that this incorrect behavior happens, but it's not
> gdb's fault. The gdb PR should refer to a gcc PR or other external PR.
> And then we can't close the gdb PR until gcc revives gcc 2.X development
> or gdb drop supports for gcc 2.X.
>
> We could add another PR state for these kind of PR's, or we could
> just use the 'suspended' state.
>

The Dejagnu community will kill me if I come out with yet another type of
failure ;-) The problem is that the international standard don't even recognize
these extensions we've added (XFAIL and KFAIL), although I think they are really
important and your weekely reports prove that.

>>From the gdb user's point of view, a bug is a bug. A gdb user can do
> the same thing as the test suite and then file a PR: 'gdb fails to
> print 'const' for const types'.
>

Yes, but we have little control over what we call XFAIL cases. But you have a
good point that they deserve some user documentation as much as the KFAILs do.

Please see my reply to Daniel's message.

--
Fernando Nasser
Red Hat - Toronto E-Mail: fnasser@redhat.com
2323 Yonge Street, Suite #300
Toronto, Ontario M4P 2C9