[FFmpeg-devel] [PATCH 3/3] Add assert that the avcodec lock isheld when initializing static VLC tables.

[Reimar Döffinger]

On Sun, Dec 02, 2012 at 03:42:06PM -0500, Don Moir wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Reimar Döffinger"
> <Reimar.Doeffinger at gmx.de>
> To: "FFmpeg development discussions and patches" <ffmpeg-devel at ffmpeg.org>
> Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2012 2:35 PM
> Subject: Re: [FFmpeg-devel] [PATCH 3/3] Add assert that the avcodec lock isheld when initializing static VLC tables.
> 
> 
> >Any comments on this patch series?
> 
> I don't think you should be calling abort. Works for command line app but really sucks for a GUI app.
> 
> Can't the places where abort or assert is called exit gracefully ? I
> mean like whats the point if no one knows why the GUI app suddenly
> shut down that might be doing a lot more than just playing a video ?

And what do you suggest that we should be doing when we are in the
middle of a critical section and notice we have no lock?
Things are already broken and beyond saving at that point.
What does your GUI app want FFmpeg to do when there is an out-of-bounds
read? This assert failing is by all means just as critical an issue
as and out-of-bounds memory access.
If your GUI app is that critical there are loads of ways to handle it,
starting from a signal handler, over signal handler with longjmp, over
using a separate process, using a watchdog process or if it's really
critical using watchdog hardware.