To: Andrew Josey
	From: Andrew Josey, PASC Interpretations Functional Chair
	Reference: PASC 1003.1-90 #80


Dear Mr. Josey

Subject: IEEE Standard 1003.1-1990

Enclosed is the official response for your request for an interpretation 
of IEEE Standard 1003.1-1990.

This response was developed and approved by the members of the 1003.1
Interpretations Committee. 

To obtain an understanding of the PASC Guidelines for interpretations
and their classifications please read
	http://www.pasc.org/interps/

Please can you confirm receipt of this electronic mail message
within ten working days, please carbon copy your response to the IEEE
(stds-pasc-ieee-officers@ieee.org)

Sincerely,


Andrew Josey
PASC Functional Chair Interpretations

Enclosures


Cc: IEEE PASC Officers
    


 _____________________________________________________________________________
 						PASC Interpretation reference
								1003.1-90  #80

 _____________________________________________________________________________

	Interpretation Number:	XXXX
	Topic:               Referenced C Language functions
	Relevant Sections:   8.1

Interpretation Request:
-----------------------

	From: Andrew Josey (on behalf of the X/Open Base working group)

Interpretation Request for:
   IEEE Std 1003.1-1990 (ISO 9945-1:1990) as contained in:
   ISO/IEC 9945-1:1996(E), ANSI/IEEE Std. 1003.1, 1996 Edition.
   Subsection 8.1, Page 205, Line 13-35.

Question:
Many of the ISO C standard functions (including but not limited to
localeconv() and strerror()) have been omitted from the list in 
section 8.1.

This would imply that this POSIX standard does not comprise the 
omitted functions, yet other parts of the standard, reference the 
omitted functions (e.g. Annex C and subsection
2.3.9, which references ALL functions defined by the C standard).

Is this an intentional ommission in section 8.1?

Suggested Correction:
Add localeconv(), strerror(), and all the other ISO C library functions
documented in Annex C (e.g. fgetpos()) to this list.


Interpretation response
------------------------
This omission was intentional.

Rationale
-------------

The functions listed in subsection 8.1 are a subset of widely available C
library functions, chosen to be easily implemented on systems that pre-dated
the C Standard.

There is no need to mandate support for the full C Standard in IEEE Std 1003.1.
Profile writers who wish to require such support should reference ISO/IEC 9989
as well as IEEE Std 1003.1-1996.

Note that in Annex C the C library identifiers that are not required in all
conforming implementations of IEEE Std 1003.1 are distinguished with
asterisks to emphasize that they're included for informative and illustrative
purposes and not to imply a requirement.

Forwarded to Interpretations group: Dec 9 1996
Proposed resolution: 23 Feb 1997
Finalised: April 17th 1997