# Pointer Signedness Errors When Compiling 1.8.4

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pointer-signedness-errors-when-compiling-1-8-4/56904>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [April 5, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pointer-signedness-errors-when-compiling-1-8-4/56904 "2006-04-05T18:37:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ben\_Gribaudo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Ben\_Gribaudo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ben_Gribaudo)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pointer-signedness-errors-when-compiling-1-8-4/56904/1 "2006-04-05T18:37:13Z")

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Hi,

I’m working on compiling Ruby 1.8.4 on Ubunty Breezy (5.10) using gcc  
4.0.2 (20050808 prerelease Ubuntu 4.0.1-4ubuntu9). When make is run,  
compilation will complete and Ruby will run but I receive a lot of  
warnings about pointer targets differing in signedness. (Warning  
messages at bottom of message.)

Should these warnings concern me? Do they indicate that my Ruby build  
will have problems (like segmentation faults)? Is there any way I can  
fix the warnings?

Thank you,  
Ben

re.c: In function \_memsearchre.c:121: warning: pointer targets in  
passing argument 1 of \_memcicmpiffer in signedness  
re.c:121: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 2 of  
\_memcicmpiffer in signedness  
re.c:129: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 1 of  
\_memcicmpiffer in signedness  
re.c:129: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 2 of  
\_memcicmpiffer in signedness  
regex.c: In function lculate\_must\_stringregex.c:1014: warning: pointer  
targets in initialization differ in signedness  
regex.c:1015: warning: pointer targets in initialization differ in  
signedness  
regex.c:1029: warning: pointer targets in assignment differ in  
signedness  
regex.c: In function by\_re\_searchregex.c:3222: warning: pointer targets  
in passing argument 1 of ow\_searchiffer in signedness  
regex.c:3222: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 3 of  
ow\_searchiffer in signedness  
regex.c:3222: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 5 of  
ow\_searchiffer in signedness  
regex.c:2689: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 5 of  
ow\_matchiffer in signedness  
regex.c:3227: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 1 of  
\_searchiffer in signedness  
regex.c:3227: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 3 of  
\_searchiffer in signedness  
string.c: In function \_str\_index\_mstring.c:1133: warning: pointer  
targets in initialization differ in signedness  
string.c: In function \_str\_rindex\_mstring.c:1255: warning: pointer  
targets in initialization differ in signedness  
string.c:1256: warning: pointer targets in initialization differ in  
signedness  
bigdecimal.c: In function gDecimal\_loadbigdecimal.c:201: warning:  
pointer targets in assignment differ in signedness  
bigdecimal.c:210: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 2 of  
NewRbClassiffer in signedness  
digest.c: In function \_digest\_base\_s\_digestdigest.c:100: warning:  
pointer targets in passing argument 2 of go-\>update\_funciffer in  
signedness  
digest.c:107: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 1 of  
\_str\_newiffer in signedness  
digest.c: In function \_digest\_base\_s\_hexdigestdigest.c:129: warning:  
pointer targets in passing argument 2 of go-\>update\_funciffer in  
signedness  
digest.c:136: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 1 of  
\_str\_newiffer in signedness  
digest.c: In function \_digest\_base\_updatedigest.c:174: warning: pointer  
targets in passing argument 2 of go-\>update\_funciffer in signedness  
digest.c: In function \_digest\_base\_digestdigest.c:217: warning: pointer  
targets in passing argument 1 of \_str\_newiffer in signedness  
digest.c: In function \_digest\_base\_hexdigestdigest.c:248: warning:  
pointer targets in passing argument 1 of \_str\_newiffer in signedness  
md5.c: In function \_Digest\_MD5\_Endmd5.c:425: warning: pointer targets in  
passing argument 1 of rintfiffer in signedness  
sha2hl.c: In function \_Digest\_SHA256\_Endsha2hl.c:108: warning: pointer  
targets in assignment differ in signedness  
sha2hl.c:121: warning: pointer targets in return differ in signedness  
sha2hl.c: In function \_Digest\_SHA384\_Endsha2hl.c:168: warning: pointer  
targets in assignment differ in signedness  
sha2hl.c:181: warning: pointer targets in return differ in signedness  
sha2hl.c: In function \_Digest\_SHA512\_Endsha2hl.c:228: warning: pointer  
targets in assignment differ in signedness  
sha2hl.c:241: warning: pointer targets in return differ in signedness  
nkf.c: In function \_nkf\_putcharnkf.c:66: warning: pointer targets in  
assignment differ in signedness  
nkf.c: In function \_nkf\_kconvnkf.c:92: warning: pointer targets in  
passing argument 1 of tionsiffer in signedness  
nkf.c:98: warning: pointer targets in assignment differ in signedness  
nkf.c:104: warning: pointer targets in assignment differ in signedness  
nkf.c: In function \_nkf\_guess1nkf.c:137: warning: pointer targets in  
assignment differ in signedness  
nkf.c: In function \_nkf\_guess2nkf.c:232: warning: pointer targets in  
assignment differ in signedness

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ben\_Gribaudo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Ben\_Gribaudo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ben_Gribaudo)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pointer-signedness-errors-when-compiling-1-8-4/56904/2 "2006-04-05T20:57:44Z")

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When ruby runs you get this output? Or just when you are compiling? If  
it’s just when you are compiling don’t worry about it if ruby finishes  
compiling with no explicit **Error**'s.

Zach

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**Author:** ![Ben\_Gribaudo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Ben\_Gribaudo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ben_Gribaudo)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pointer-signedness-errors-when-compiling-1-8-4/56904/3 "2006-04-05T21:07:02Z")

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Hi Zach,

I get that output during compilation. Thanks for the info on not needing  
to worry about it. Why do I receive it, though? In particular, I’m  
curious as I’m experiencing Ruby segmentation faulting–could the  
mis-matched pointer signedness cause a memory access violation?

Ben

zdennis wrote:

> > I’m working on compiling Ruby 1.8.4 on Ubunty Breezy (5.10) using gcc  
> > Ben
> > 
> > re.c: In function \_memsearchre.c:121: warning: pointer targets in  
> > passing argument 1 of \_memcicmpiffer in signedness  
> > re.c:121: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 2 of  
> > \_memcicmpiffer in signedness  
> > re.c:129: warning: pointer targets in passing argument 1 of  
> > \_memcicmpiffer in signedness  
> > [snip]

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ben\_Gribaudo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Ben\_Gribaudo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ben_Gribaudo)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2006, 11:13am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pointer-signedness-errors-when-compiling-1-8-4/56904/4 "2006-04-06T11:13:12Z")

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Hi,

In message “Re: Pointer Signedness Errors When Compiling 1.8.4”  
on Thu, 6 Apr 2006 04:04:54 +0900, Ben Gribaudo  
[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) writes:

|I get that output during compilation. Thanks for the info on not needing  
|to worry about it. Why do I receive it, though? In particular, I’m  
|curious as I’m experiencing Ruby segmentation faulting–could the  
|mis-matched pointer signedness cause a memory access violation?

It’s not related to your segmentation fault. gcc 4.x starts to give  
you those warnings unlike prior versions.

```
						matz.

```