Re: git: 03c410ba1724 - main - man: Stop referring to non-existing manpage strlcpy(9)

On 5/21/26 16:08, Martin Cracauer wrote:
> The branch main has been updated by cracauer:
> 
> URL: https://cgit.FreeBSD.org/src/commit/?id=03c410ba172426aa7f2a1cc19b94250686e5c8bd
> 
> commit 03c410ba172426aa7f2a1cc19b94250686e5c8bd
> Author:     Martin Cracauer <cracauer@FreeBSD.org>
> AuthorDate: 2026-05-21 20:08:08 +0000
> Commit:     Martin Cracauer <cracauer@FreeBSD.org>
> CommitDate: 2026-05-21 20:08:08 +0000
> 
>      man: Stop referring to non-existing manpage strlcpy(9)
>      
>      Reviewed by: ziaee, mhorne, kevans

It might be best to not use a manpage reference here then.  You can't call userspace functions
from the kernel, so it is a category error for a kernel API manpage in section 9 to ever refer
to calling a userspace function from sections 2 or 3.  There is an implementation of strlcpy
int he kernel, and the point of the section 9 here was to indicate that there is a kernel
version that can be called.  However, there are many, many functions in section 3 that do not
have equivalent implementations in the kernel and cannot be called.

> ---
>   share/man/man9/copy.9 | 5 +++--
>   1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/share/man/man9/copy.9 b/share/man/man9/copy.9
> index 3a3105ddf644..fe51bbd12704 100644
> --- a/share/man/man9/copy.9
> +++ b/share/man/man9/copy.9
> @@ -67,9 +67,10 @@ to another.
>   .Pp
>   .Fn copystr
>   is deprecated and should be replaced with
> -.Xr strlcpy 9 .
> +.Xr strlcpy 3 ,
> +which has a kernel-to-kernel version.

What does this sentence even mean?  We don't have a version of strlcpy anywhere or strncpy or
strcpy that tries to copy between different address spaces (e.g. between user and kernel
pointers).  I think this is trying to address the confusion you've just introduced, but you
would be better off IMO just saying "strlcpy" I think, e.g.:

is deprecated and should be replaced with
strlcpy.

>   It will be removed from
> -.Fx 13 .
> +.Fx 16 .
>   .Pp
>   The
>   .Fn copyin
> 

-- 
John Baldwin