fork() is returning > 0 ???

Richard A. O'Keefe ok at goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au
Sat Nov 10 20:32:43 AEST 1990


In article <2691 at ux.acs.umn.edu>, eric at ux.acs.umn.edu (Merlinus Ambrosius) writes:
> Can you explain why in this piece of code, fork() is returning a value
> other than -1 or 0?

Because it ought to.  RTFM.  If you're talking about the UNIX fork(2)
system call, it yields one of three results:
    -1 => something went wrong, we've still just one process and this is it
     0 => forking worked, and _this_ process is the child
     N => forking worked, _this_ process is the parent, and the
	  child process has process it N.  If you are going to wait for
	  the child to finish, you _need_ this number.
(Look at the DIAGNOSTICS section of the fork(2) manual page.)

> |Eric (the "Mentat-Philosopher") Hendrickson	      University of Minnesota

Um, if you're a Mentat, how come you need a computer?  Mentats were
supposed to be the human replacements for computers after the Butlerian Jihad.
-- 
The problem about real life is that moving one's knight to QB3
may always be replied to with a lob across the net.  --Alasdair Macintyre.



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