This commit revisits the `cast` module in libcore and libstd, and scrutinizes
all functions inside of it. The result was to remove the `cast` module entirely,
folding all functionality into the `mem` module. Specifically, this is the fate
of each function in the `cast` module.
* transmute - This function was moved to `mem`, but it is now marked as
#[unstable]. This is due to planned changes to the `transmute`
function and how it can be invoked (see the #[unstable] comment).
For more information, see RFC 5 and #12898
* transmute_copy - This function was moved to `mem`, with clarification that is
is not an error to invoke it with T/U that are different
sizes, but rather that it is strongly discouraged. This
function is now #[stable]
* forget - This function was moved to `mem` and marked #[stable]
* bump_box_refcount - This function was removed due to the deprecation of
managed boxes as well as its questionable utility.
* transmute_mut - This function was previously deprecated, and removed as part
of this commit.
* transmute_mut_unsafe - This function doesn't serve much of a purpose when it
can be achieved with an `as` in safe code, so it was
removed.
* transmute_lifetime - This function was removed because it is likely a strong
indication that code is incorrect in the first place.
* transmute_mut_lifetime - This function was removed for the same reasons as
`transmute_lifetime`
* copy_lifetime - This function was moved to `mem`, but it is marked
`#[unstable]` now due to the likelihood of being removed in
the future if it is found to not be very useful.
* copy_mut_lifetime - This function was also moved to `mem`, but had the same
treatment as `copy_lifetime`.
* copy_lifetime_vec - This function was removed because it is not used today,
and its existence is not necessary with DST
(copy_lifetime will suffice).
In summary, the cast module was stripped down to these functions, and then the
functions were moved to the `mem` module.
transmute - #[unstable]
transmute_copy - #[stable]
forget - #[stable]
copy_lifetime - #[unstable]
copy_mut_lifetime - #[unstable]
[breaking-change]
In stage0, all allocations are 8-byte aligned. Passing a size and
alignment to free is not yet implemented everywhere (0 size and 8 align
are used as placeholders). Fixing this is part of #13994.
Closes#13616
Turning a `&T` into an `&mut T` carries a large risk of undefined
behaviour, and needs to be done very very carefully. Providing a
convenience function for exactly this task is a bad idea, just tempting
people into doing the wrong thing.
The right thing is to use types like `Cell`, `RefCell` or `Unsafe`.
For memory safety, Rust has that guarantee that `&mut` pointers do not
alias with any other pointer, that is, if you have a `&mut T` then that
is the only usable pointer to that `T`. This allows Rust to assume that
writes through a `&mut T` do not affect the values of any other `&` or
`&mut` references. `&` pointers have no guarantees about aliasing or
not, so it's entirely possible for the same pointer to be passed into
both arguments of a function like
fn foo(x: &int, y: &int) { ... }
Converting either of `x` or `y` to a `&mut` pointer and modifying it
would affect the other value: invalid behaviour.
(Similarly, it's undefined behaviour to modify the value of an immutable
local, like `let x = 1;`.)
At a low-level, the *only* safe way to obtain an `&mut` out of a `&` is
using the `Unsafe` type (there are higher level wrappers around it, like
`Cell`, `RefCell`, `Mutex` etc.). The `Unsafe` type is registered with
the compiler so that it can reason a little about these `&` to `&mut`
casts, but it is still up to the user to ensure that the `&mut`s
obtained out of an `Unsafe` never alias.
(Note that *any* conversion from `&` to `&mut` can be invalid, including
a plain `transmute`, or casting `&T` -> `*T` -> `*mut T` -> `&mut T`.)
[breaking-change]
This removes the now-outdated MutexArc and RWArc types. These are superseded by
Arc<Mutex<T>> and Arc<RWLock<T>>. The only remaining arc is the one true Arc.
Additionally, the arc now has weak pointers implemented for it to assist in
breaking cycles.
This commit brings the arc api up to parity with the sibling Rc api, making them
nearly interchangeable for inter and intra task communication.
With Rc no longer trying to statically prevent cycles (and thus no
longer using the Freeze bound), it seems appropriate to remove that
restriction from MutexArc as well.
