Document procfs(5) as obsolete

[trasz]

Summary

Update the procfs(5) man page to clarify that it's obsolete.

[bcr]

Bump the .Dd when you commit. Thanks!

[emaste]

Do we know what if any ports actually use procfs?

[val_packett.cool]

In D22275#486869, @emaste wrote:

Do we know what if any ports actually use procfs?

Quite a lot of software ported from Linux, because it's way easier to change /proc/self to /proc/curproc than to actually write code for using sysctls and such :)

Grepping for curproc in ports reveals x11/keyboardcast, security/beid, net-mgmt/seafile-server, net-mgmt/seafile-client, java/openjdk7, net-mgmt/ccnet-server, mail/dbmail, science/opensph, sysutils/memfetch, devel/RStudio, devel/synfig, devel/clanlib1, devel/clanlib, devel/oclgrind… Typically it's just for finding the current executable binary.

And you can find more on the internet e.g.

• https://reviews.llvm.org/D65890
• https://leanprover-community.github.io/archive/113489newmembers/46516SIGABRTwhilebuildingLean.html#168800363

[val_packett.cool]

Just installed libsigsegv on a machine and the pkg message was: "Note that the stackoverflow handling functions of this library need procfs mounted on /proc."

[trasz]

So... Is procfs actually obsolete then?

[emaste]

In D22275#487098, @trasz wrote:

So... Is procfs actually obsolete then?

I would say use of procfs is deprecated, and your advice (about libkvm etc.) is sound., but it is still used by a number of ports.

[pstef]

share/man/man5/procfs.5

17

Just say it's deprecated as Ed suggested and overall this change is good.