Re: Use of initialized variable in strtod.c

[Jeffrey Walton <noloader@gmail.com>]

> Does Coverity have a way in which in the code it can be marked as OK?  (I'd
> expect some '#pragma CoverityIgnore(bits)' or the like ought to be
> available.)

Yes. You have to provide a modeling file. Also see the Coverity Scan
FAQ entry "what is a model" at https://scan.coverity.com/faq.

Other projects use them, like Python. See, for example,
https://docs.python.org/devguide/coverity.html.

> I agree with trying to get rid of the message, but it is worth
> bloat to do it?  (It will add instructions to either initialize bits to 0 or
> add the else.)

If I am parsing things correctly, it seems like the bloat is going the
other way: if the code is not needed, then remove it. It will avoid
findings like these, and speed up the compile.

> I would rather mark something in the code as a false
> positive than add code because the tool is not smart enough to know--so we
> might differ in philosophy there.

Perhaps a better strategy would be to initialize all variables, and
then allow the optimizer to remove the unneeded writes. It will ensure
a program is in a good state, and avoid findings like these.

Another strategy is to do nothing. In this case, the same findings
will waste multiple developer's time, and generate additional mailing
list messages.

I like dark and silent cockpits, so I don't want tools generating
findings, and I don't want mailing list messages. I would squash it
once and for all and avoid all future problems. But that's just me,
and I understand the Newlib project may have a different outlook on
things.

Jeff