[syslinux] [PATCH 3/5] installers: MSVC compatibility fixes

[Shao Miller]

On 3/6/2016 10:47, Pete Batard via Syslinux wrote:
> On 3/6/2016 08:13, Gene Cumm via Syslinux wrote:
>>> -    len = lba = 0;
>>> >+    len = 0;
>>> >+    lba = 0;
>>> >
>>> >      memset_sl(ex, 0, nptrs * sizeof *ex);
>> Did Visual Studio actually complain about this one?
>
> WDK compiler (which I also use) if I recall correctly. At any rate, 
> some older compilers do not like double initializations like this one, 
> and I don't think this change should be much of a contention point, 
> since it doesn't introduce any liability.
If those compilers are newer than 1989, they would certainly be broken 
for complaining about such an initialization, as it's well-defined.  
Windows DDK 6001.18001 does not complain.  Visual Studio 6 doesn't, 
either.  If a known implementation that Syslinux is targeting complains, 
could you please share which one it is? This quirk is so surprising that 
I find it likely for that implementation to have other quirks that we 
might have to be on the look-out for.  I'd like to research them, as C 
portability is a strong interest of mine.

If this change is simply due to a mental note about an incident where a 
compiler once complained about this type of thing, I think that times 
have changed and the note no longer applies. :)

I appreciate your contributions quite a bit, Pete!

- Shao Miller of Synthetel