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[bug-gsl] Re: array, vector indices out-of-bounds in "linalg/bidiag.c" (2008-04-20)
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From: |
Julian Seward <jseward@.......> |
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Subject: |
Re: array, vector indices out-of-bounds in "linalg/bidiag.c" |
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Date: |
Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:58:47 +0200 |
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To: |
bug-gsl@gnu.org |
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Cc: |
Kort Travis <kat@..................> |
> for (j = N; j > 0 && j--;)
This is an extremely strange for-loop header, and I wonder if
it is what the author(s) really intended. I _think_ it might
be equivalent to
for (j = N; j > 0 && j != 0; /*no step action*/) {
j--;
/* now the rest of the loop body */
}
j--; /* because the condition is consulted 1 more time than the
loop body runs */
so there isn't necessarily an overrun at j = N.
I wonder if it would not be cleaner to use a standard idiom:
for (j = N-1; j >= 0; j--)
IMO even a C language lawyer would have a hard time figuring out
what the exact behaviour is here, which doesn't bode well for
end-user understanding of the code.
You might want to try Valgrind's Memcheck tool to see if there
are in fact any overruns happening.
J
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