Re: fork()/exec() dumping

["Michael J. Hammel" <mjhammel graphics-muse org>]

Thus spoke Erik Mouw
> The child actually does return. The exec() system call overlays the
> current process with a new process. The new process becomes the child, so
> if it exit()s the parent still has to handle its death somehow. Like in
> this next figure:

This may be where I got it wrong, then.  I interpreted Stevens to say that
the exec() call replaced the child and the linkage between parent and child
was broken at that point.  I think you may be right about the way it
really works, however.

> Anyway, I hope my figure explains what I mean.

Yep.  It's a tricky issue.  Signaling, especially child-to-parent, seems to
be one of the toughest issues to deal with on Unix boxes.  :-)
-- 
Michael J. Hammel           |
The Graphics Muse           |           Assassins do it from behind.
mjhammel@graphics-muse.org  |
http://www.graphics-muse.org