info not showing anything with certain build flags

[Norbert Preining]

Hi Karl, hi everyone,

on Debian we recently enabled hardening build flags, but that led to
a strange effect, namely that info didn't display *anything* at all.
You could start info, but there was an empty main window (text console),
but the status line showed the
        ----INfo: (dir)Top, 1 lines --All----------------------
and the lasst line showed
        Welcome to Info version 4.13. Type h for help, m for menu item.
Typing m<TAB> also showed many entries, and I could browse some
info files. So for example
        m basename
showed the coreutils.info file 18.1 'basename' ... and that was visible.
But doing
        u u u u
to go to the Top dir file again showed nothing.

After removing the hardening flags it worked again, so I assume that is
is related to that. The way we are compiling is wiht
        CFLAGS="-g -O2 -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -Wformat -Wformat-security -Werror=format-security -Wall"
        CPPFLAGS="-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2"
        CXXFLAGS="-g -O2 -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -Wformat -Wformat-security -Werror=format-security"
        FFLAGS="-g -O2"
        LDFLAGS="-Wl,-z,relro"

Does anyone have an idea why this might happen?

(I tried compiling current sources, but that didn't work out, configure
errors etc)

Best wishes

Norbert
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Norbert Preining            preining@{jaist.ac.jp, logic.at, debian.org}
JAIST, Japan                                 TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094   fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76  A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUENBY (n.)
A stubborn spot on a window which you spend twenty minutes trying to
clean off before discovering it's on the other side of the glass.
                        --- Douglas Adams, The Meaning of Liff

[Karl Berry]

    Does anyone have an idea why this might happen?

Not out of my head.  And Sergey's main server (gnu.org.ua) apparently
developed hardware woes, so I doubt he'll be able to answer anything
Texinfo-related quickly.

    (I tried compiling current sources, but that didn't work out,

Sergey has made a ton of changes since info 4.13.  Really need to work
from the development sources.  I can try compiling with your options at
some point.

(BTW, it is explicitly not a goal for Texinfo, or GNU packages in
general, to compile with -Wall, although some individual maintainers
choose to do so.  I doubt that's relevant to the problem at hand,
anyway.)

karl

[Norbert Preining]

On Mo, 16 Apr 2012, Karl Berry wrote:
>     (I tried compiling current sources, but that didn't work out,
>
> Sergey has made a ton of changes since info 4.13.  Really need to work
> from the development sources.  I can try compiling with your options at
> some point.

Ok, I had problem with the autoconf stuff, because it requires a
local dev script I don't have: In autogen.sh there is:
        cmd="./tp/maintain/regenerate_file_lists.pl"
        echo "  $cmd"
        $chicken eval $cmd || exit 1
and
        # Generates another include file for tp/Makefile.am.
        cmd="./tp/maintain/regenerate_document_strings_make_rules.sh"
        echo "  $cmd"
        $chicken eval $cmd || exit 1
but there is no directory ./tp/ in the sources ...

> (BTW, it is explicitly not a goal for Texinfo, or GNU packages in
> general, to compile with -Wall, although some individual maintainers
> choose to do so.  I doubt that's relevant to the problem at hand,
> anyway.)

I know, and actually I don't consider this HIGH priority.
These changes were suggested, and we included them, but I reverted to
former compile method and everything is fine again, no need to hurry.

Just wanted to mention in case something might have a more
serious reason, no idea what though.

Best wishes

Norbert
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Norbert Preining            preining@{jaist.ac.jp, logic.at, debian.org}
JAIST, Japan                                 TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094   fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76  A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LUTON (n.)
The horseshoe-shaped rug which goes around a lavatory seat.
                        --- Douglas Adams, The Meaning of Liff

[Hilmar Preusse]

On 17.04.12 Norbert Preining (preining@...) wrote:

Hi Norbert,

> on Debian we recently enabled hardening build flags, but that led to
> a strange effect, namely that info didn't display *anything* at all.
> You could start info, but there was an empty main window (text console),
> but the status line showed the
> ----INfo: (dir)Top, 1 lines --All----------------------
> and the lasst line showed
> Welcome to Info version 4.13. Type h for help, m for menu item.
>
I'm failing to reproduce the problem. I have downgraded to the Debian
version showing the problem (-9) and have a working info using the
gnome-terminal and an ssh connection using putty.

I use Intel i386, you and the submitter use amd64. Unfortunately I
don't have an amd64 system available and I won't be able to get one
that easy. Do you have the chance to re-test on i386?

H.
--
sigmentation fault

[Norbert Preining]

On Di, 17 Apr 2012, Hilmar Preusse wrote:
> I'm failing to reproduce the problem. I have downgraded to the Debian
> version showing the problem (-9) and have a working info using the
> gnome-terminal and an ssh connection using putty.

Hmmm...

> I use Intel i386, you and the submitter use amd64. Unfortunately I
> don't have an amd64 system available and I won't be able to get one
> that easy. Do you have the chance to re-test on i386?

I will try to find one ... but actually don't know where I could
find one that is running testing or sid.

Best wishes

Norbert
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Norbert Preining            preining@{jaist.ac.jp, logic.at, debian.org}
JAIST, Japan                                 TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094   fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76  A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERRANZABULOE (n.)
One of those spray things used to wet ironing with.
                        --- Douglas Adams, The Meaning of Liff

[Atsuhito Kohda]

Hi Hilmar and Norbert,

On Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:34:41 +0900, Norbert Preining wrote:

> I will try to find one ... but actually don't know where I could
> find one that is running testing or sid.

FYI. I have both i386 and amd64 machine so tried info.
Hilmar is right, info works fine on i386 but does not
work on amd64.

Best regards, 2012-4-18(Wed)

--
 Debian Developer - much more I18N of Debian
 Atsuhito Kohda <kohda AT debian.org>
 Department of Math., Univ. of Tokushima

[Norbert Preining]

On Mi, 18 Apr 2012, Atsuhito Kohda wrote:
> Hilmar is right, info works fine on i386 but does not
> work on amd64.

Great, thanks for the info!!!
THough, not that I now understand more ... I guess we wait until
new texinfo is released with heavily rewritten info, and retest.


Best wishes

Norbert
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Norbert Preining            preining@{jaist.ac.jp, logic.at, debian.org}
JAIST, Japan                                 TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094   fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76  A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANTLEMORE (vb.) To make a noise like a train crossing a set of
points.
                        --- Douglas Adams, The Meaning of Liff

[Norbert Preining]

Hilmar, Karl, all

I have no recompiled the current CVS version, some remarks:
* dpkg-buildflags --export=configure is broken, or better
  -Werror=format-security is broken, as it reports
        footnotes.c: In function ‘info_show_footnotes’:
        footnotes.c:258:11: error: format not a string literal and no format arguments [-Werror=format-security]
        footnotes.c:262:11: error: format not a string literal and no format arguments [-Werror=format-security]
        cc1: some warnings being treated as errors
  No in respective arguments to these functions are declared as
        const char *
  so IMHO cc should not complain. Anyway, removing the -Werror... and restart


* after removing the -Werror=format-security the compile succeeds,
  and the resulting info works also on amd64.

Bottomline, if we package new texinfo, we might add that, but have to
set
        DEB_CFLAG_MAINT_STRIP=-Werror=format-security

Best wishes

Norbert
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Norbert Preining            preining@{jaist.ac.jp, logic.at, debian.org}
JAIST, Japan                                 TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094   fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76  A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MONKS TOFT (n.)
The bundle of hair which is left after a monk has been tonsured, which
he keeps tired up with a rubber band and uses for chasing ants away.
                        --- Douglas Adams, The Meaning of Liff

[Sergey Poznyakoff-4]

Norbert Preining <preining@...> wrote:

> footnotes.c: In function ‘info_show_footnotes’:
> footnotes.c:258:11: error: format not a string literal and no format arguments [-Werror=format-security]
> footnotes.c:262:11: error: format not a string literal and no
> format arguments [-Werror=format-security]

It is intended (see the comment in info.c:692-695, for the reason of
it). I'll see if this can be rewritten some other way to pacify gcc, but
for the time being you'll have to drop that `-Werror' option.

Regards,
Sergey

[Julian Gilbey-5]

On Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 10:07:24AM +0300, Sergey Poznyakoff wrote:

> Norbert Preining <preining@...> wrote:
>
> > footnotes.c: In function ‘info_show_footnotes’:
> > footnotes.c:258:11: error: format not a string literal and no format arguments [-Werror=format-security]
> > footnotes.c:262:11: error: format not a string literal and no
> > format arguments [-Werror=format-security]
>
> It is intended (see the comment in info.c:692-695, for the reason of
> it). I'll see if this can be rewritten some other way to pacify gcc, but
> for the time being you'll have to drop that `-Werror' option.

Indeed it can be written in another way:

   info_error("%s", msg_no_foot_node);

and similarly for the next case.  Then you won't have an empty format
argument list.  The same applies to the cases in infodoc.c, infomap.c
(line 942) and session.c (lots of cases, including line 1295).

A diff against the latest CVS version of the info directory is
attached.

   Julian

---

Index: footnotes.c
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/texinfo/texinfo/info/footnotes.c,v
retrieving revision 1.13
diff -u -b -B -r1.13 footnotes.c
--- footnotes.c 12 Apr 2012 10:38:28 -0000 1.13
+++ footnotes.c 18 Apr 2012 17:20:13 -0000
@@ -255,11 +255,11 @@
       switch (result)
         {
         case FN_UNFOUND:
-          info_error (msg_no_foot_node);
+          info_error ("%s", msg_no_foot_node);
           break;
 
         case FN_UNABLE:
-          info_error (msg_win_too_small);
+          info_error ("%s", msg_win_too_small);
           break;
         }
     }
Index: infodoc.c
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/texinfo/texinfo/info/infodoc.c,v
retrieving revision 1.31
diff -u -b -B -r1.31 infodoc.c
--- infodoc.c 12 Apr 2012 10:38:29 -0000 1.31
+++ infodoc.c 18 Apr 2012 17:20:13 -0000
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@
     }
   else
     {
-      info_error (msg_cant_make_help);
+      info_error ("%s", msg_cant_make_help);
     }
 }
 
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@
   if (!node)
     {
       if (info_recent_file_error)
-        info_error (info_recent_file_error);
+        info_error ("%s", info_recent_file_error);
       else
         info_error (msg_cant_file_node, "Info", nodename);
     }
Index: infomap.c
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/texinfo/texinfo/info/infomap.c,v
retrieving revision 1.24
diff -u -b -B -r1.24 infomap.c
--- infomap.c 17 Nov 2011 10:04:59 -0000 1.24
+++ infomap.c 18 Apr 2012 17:20:13 -0000
@@ -939,7 +939,7 @@
         {
                 if (filename && errno != ENOENT)
                 {
-                        info_error(filesys_error_string(filename, errno));
+                        info_error("%s", filesys_error_string(filename, errno));
                         free(filename);
                 }
                 return 0;
@@ -1169,7 +1169,7 @@
                 }
         }
         if (state != getseq)
-                info_error(_("Bad data in infokey file -- some key bindings ignored"));
+                info_error("%s", _("Bad data in infokey file -- some key bindings ignored"));
         return !stop;
 }
 
@@ -1218,7 +1218,7 @@
               }
           }
       if (state != getvar)
-        info_error(_("Bad data in infokey file -- some var settings ignored"));
+        info_error("%s", _("Bad data in infokey file -- some var settings ignored"));
 }
 
 void
Index: session.c
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/texinfo/texinfo/info/session.c,v
retrieving revision 1.54
diff -u -b -B -r1.54 session.c
--- session.c 12 Apr 2012 10:38:30 -0000 1.54
+++ session.c 18 Apr 2012 17:20:14 -0000
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
           if (!largest)
             {
               display_update_display (windows);
-              info_error (msg_cant_find_window);
+              info_error ("%s", msg_cant_find_window);
               info_session ();
               xexit (0);
             }
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
           else
             {
               display_update_display (windows);
-              info_error (msg_win_too_small);
+              info_error ("%s", msg_win_too_small);
               info_session ();
               xexit (0);
             }
@@ -597,7 +597,7 @@
 {
   if (old == -1)
     {
-      info_error (msg_cant_find_point);
+      info_error ("%s", msg_cant_find_point);
     }
   else
     {
@@ -1145,7 +1145,7 @@
   switch (behaviour)
     {
     case IS_PageOnly:
-      info_error (msg_at_node_bottom);
+      info_error ("%s", msg_at_node_bottom);
       return 1;
 
     case IS_NextOnly:
@@ -1168,7 +1168,7 @@
     switch (scroll_last_node)
       {
       case SLN_Stop:
- info_error (_("No more nodes within this document."));
+ info_error ("%s", _("No more nodes within this document."));
  return 1;
 
       case SLN_Scroll:
@@ -1292,7 +1292,7 @@
                   window->point = info_win->points[old_current];
                   recalculate_line_starts (window);
                   window->flags |= W_UpdateWindow;
-                  info_error (_("No more nodes within this document."));
+                  info_error ("%s", _("No more nodes within this document."));
                   return 1;
                 }
             }
@@ -1310,14 +1310,14 @@
   switch (behaviour)
     {
     case IS_PageOnly:
-      info_error (msg_at_node_top);
+      info_error ("%s", msg_at_node_top);
       return 1;
 
     case IS_NextOnly:
       info_prev_label_of_node (window->node);
       if (!info_parsed_nodename && !info_parsed_filename)
         {
-          info_error (_("No `Prev' for this node."));
+          info_error ("%s", _("No `Prev' for this node."));
           return 1;
         }
       else
@@ -1336,7 +1336,7 @@
           if (!info_parsed_nodename && (!info_parsed_filename
                                         || is_dir_name (info_parsed_filename)))
             {
-              info_error (
+              info_error ("%s",
                     _("No `Prev' or `Up' for this node within this document."));
               return 1;
             }
@@ -1695,7 +1695,7 @@
   /* If no other window, error now. */
   if (!windows->next && !echo_area_is_active)
     {
-      info_error (msg_one_window);
+      info_error ("%s", msg_one_window);
       return;
     }
 
@@ -1735,7 +1735,7 @@
 
   if (!windows->next && !echo_area_is_active)
     {
-      info_error (msg_one_window);
+      info_error ("%s", msg_one_window);
       return;
     }
 
@@ -1791,7 +1791,7 @@
 
   if (!split)
     {
-      info_error (msg_win_too_small);
+      info_error ("%s", msg_win_too_small);
     }
   else
     {
@@ -1860,11 +1860,11 @@
 {
   if (!windows->next)
     {
-      info_error (msg_cant_kill_last);
+      info_error ("%s", msg_cant_kill_last);
     }
   else if (window->flags & W_WindowIsPerm)
     {
-      info_error (_("Cannot delete a permanent window"));
+      info_error ("%s", _("Cannot delete a permanent window"));
     }
   else
     {
@@ -1949,7 +1949,7 @@
   /* If only one window, give up. */
   if (!windows->next)
     {
-      info_error (msg_one_window);
+      info_error ("%s", msg_one_window);
       return;
     }
 
@@ -2077,7 +2077,7 @@
   if (!node)
     {
       if (file_system_error)
-        info_error (file_system_error);
+        info_error ("%s", file_system_error);
       else
         info_error (msg_cant_find_node, nodename);
     }
@@ -2153,7 +2153,7 @@
       else
         {
           if (info_recent_file_error)
-            info_error (info_recent_file_error);
+            info_error ("%s", info_recent_file_error);
           else
             info_error (msg_cant_file_node, filename, nodename);
         }
@@ -2220,7 +2220,7 @@
     }
 
   if (!node)
-    info_error (_("This window has no additional nodes"));
+    info_error ("%s", _("This window has no additional nodes"));
   else
     info_set_node_of_window (1, window, node);
 }
@@ -2254,7 +2254,7 @@
     }
 
   if (!node)
-    info_error (_("This window has no additional nodes"));
+    info_error ("%s", _("This window has no additional nodes"));
   else
     info_set_node_of_window (1, window, node);
 }
@@ -2276,7 +2276,7 @@
 
   if (!menu)
     {
-      info_error (msg_no_menu_node);
+      info_error ("%s", msg_no_menu_node);
       return;
     }
 
@@ -2391,9 +2391,9 @@
   if (!menu)
     {
       if (builder == info_menu_of_node)
-        info_error (msg_no_menu_node);
+        info_error ("%s", msg_no_menu_node);
       else
-        info_error (msg_no_xref_node);
+        info_error ("%s", msg_no_xref_node);
       return;
     }
 
@@ -2669,7 +2669,7 @@
       window->flags |= W_UpdateWindow;
     }
   else
-    info_error (msg_no_menu_node);
+    info_error ("%s", msg_no_menu_node);
 }
 
 /* Visit as many menu items as is possible, each in a separate window. */
@@ -2682,7 +2682,7 @@
   menu = info_menu_of_node (window->node);
 
   if (!menu)
-    info_error (msg_no_menu_node);
+    info_error ("%s", msg_no_menu_node);
 
   for (i = 0; (!info_error_was_printed) && (entry = menu[i]); i++)
     {
@@ -2692,7 +2692,7 @@
       window_tile_windows (TILE_INTERNALS);
 
       if (!new)
-        info_error (msg_win_too_small);
+        info_error ("%s", msg_win_too_small);
       else
         {
           active_window = new;
@@ -3313,7 +3313,7 @@
   /* If there are no more nodes left anywhere to view, complain and exit. */
   if (info_windows_index == 1 && info_windows[0]->nodes_index == 1)
     {
-      info_error (_("Cannot kill the last node"));
+      info_error ("%s", _("Cannot kill the last node"));
       return;
     }
 
@@ -3432,7 +3432,7 @@
       if (!node)
         {
           if (info_recent_file_error)
-            info_error (info_recent_file_error);
+            info_error ("%s", info_recent_file_error);
           else
             info_error (_("Cannot find `%s'."), line);
         }
@@ -3490,7 +3490,7 @@
     fclose (output_stream);
 
 #if defined (VERBOSE_NODE_DUMPING)
-  info_error (_("Done."));
+  info_error ("%s", _("Done."));
 #endif /* VERBOSE_NODE_DUMPING */
 }
 
@@ -3520,7 +3520,7 @@
   if (!node)
     {
       if (info_recent_file_error)
-        info_error (info_recent_file_error);
+        info_error ("%s", info_recent_file_error);
       else
         {
           if (filename && *nodename != '(')
@@ -3611,7 +3611,7 @@
     fclose (output_stream);
 
 #if defined (VERBOSE_NODE_DUMPING)
-  info_error (_("Done."));
+  info_error ("%s", _("Done."));
 #endif /* VERBOSE_NODE_DUMPING */
 }
 
@@ -3671,7 +3671,7 @@
     fclose (printer_pipe);
 
 #if defined (VERBOSE_NODE_DUMPING)
-  info_error (_("Done."));
+  info_error ("%s", _("Done."));
 #endif /* VERBOSE_NODE_DUMPING */
 }
 
@@ -3994,7 +3994,7 @@
               if (!echo_area_is_active)
                 {
                   if (info_recent_file_error)
-                    info_error (info_recent_file_error);
+                    info_error ("%s", info_recent_file_error);
                   else
                     info_error (msg_cant_file_node,
                                 filename_non_directory (file_buffer->filename),
@@ -4124,7 +4124,7 @@
 
   if (mbslen (search_string) < min_search_length)
     {
-      info_error (_("Search string too short"));
+      info_error ("%s", _("Search string too short"));
       return;
     }
 
@@ -4145,7 +4145,7 @@
    NULL);
 
   if (result != 0 && !info_error_was_printed)
-    info_error (_("Search failed."));
+    info_error ("%s", _("Search failed."));
   else if (old_pagetop != active_window->pagetop)
     {
       int new_pagetop;
@@ -4166,7 +4166,7 @@
                       _("Repeat last search in the same direction"))
 {
   if (!last_search_direction)
-    info_error (_("No previous search string"));
+    info_error ("%s", _("No previous search string"));
   else
     info_search_1 (window, last_search_direction * count,
                    key, last_search_case_sensitive, 0);
@@ -4176,7 +4176,7 @@
                       _("Repeat last search in the reverse direction"))
 {
   if (!last_search_direction)
-    info_error (_("No previous search string"));
+    info_error ("%s", _("No previous search string"));
   else
     info_search_1 (window, -last_search_direction * count,
                    key, last_search_case_sensitive, 0);
@@ -4719,7 +4719,7 @@
   if (firstmenu == -1 && firstxref == -1)
     {
       if (!cursor_movement_scrolls_p)
-        info_error (msg_no_xref_node);
+        info_error ("%s", msg_no_xref_node);
       return cursor_movement_scrolls_p;
     }
 
@@ -4862,7 +4862,7 @@
      do it. */
   if (!info_error_rings_bell_p)
     terminal_ring_bell ();
-  info_error (_("Quit"));
+  info_error ("%s", _("Quit"));
 
   info_initialize_numeric_arg ();
   info_clear_pending_input ();

---

[Karl Berry]

    A diff against the latest CVS version of the info directory is
    attached.

I applied it.  Thanks.

k

[Julian Gilbey-5]

On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 05:39:11PM -0700, Karl Berry wrote:
>     A diff against the latest CVS version of the info directory is
>     attached.
>
> I applied it.  Thanks.

Pleasure!

   Julian

[Karl Berry]

Hi Norbert,

    to go to the Top dir file again showed nothing.
    After removing the hardening flags it worked again, so I assume that is
    is related to that. The way we are compiling is wiht

FYI: we are finally getting close enough to a texinfo pretest that I
tried your "hardening" recipe for compiling on an x86_64-linux machine,
and info worked normally.  So I think whatever the problem was, Sergey
has fixed it in the current sources.

Of course, you should still confirm this after we actually have the
pretest and/or release out.

k