Another Lint Koan?

[Dean Douthat]

<>
In  a  C program which needs current date and time, the following
sequence was used:

      #include <stdio.h>
      #include <time.h>
      #include <sys/types.h>
            .
            .
            .
      struct tm *p, *localtime();
      time_t time(), time_sec;
            .
            .
            .
      time_sec = time(NULL);
      p = localtime(@time_sec);

This  was  passed  through  lint  on  a VAX running Eunice.  Lint
nattered about the last line with:

      Inconsistent use of return value.    [Huhh???]

This  lint is, presumbably, based on BSD 4.?  so I tried the same
code on an IBM PC running VENIX/86 which is presumably  based  on
AT&T System III.  There, lint made no complaint whatsoever.

In  examining  lint's grammatical tables or templates or whatever
they're called in file llib-lc, the pertinent line is:

struct     tm *localtime(c) time_t *c; { return localtime(c); }

This  line is *exactly the same* in both the llib-lc for VENIX/86
and that for Eunice.  Is this a  bug  in  the  Eunice  (=  BSD??)
lint,  an  error  in  the  program  [and  therefore  a bug in the
VENIX/86 (= AT&T System III??)   lint]  or  simply  another  lint
koan, beyond the ken of all save UNIX gurus?

May the Source be with you!

Dean Douthat

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