Feature #7082: Process.kill 0 in windows can return spurious success

• Status: Open
• Assignee: -
• Target version: -

[rogerdpack (Roger Pack)]

a = IO.popen('ls "."', 'w')
=> #<IO:fd 4>
a.pid
=> 2104
Process.kill 0, 2104
=> 1 # should raise an exception since that process is dead now, shouldn't it? [it can be checked with GetExitCodeProcess != STILL_ACTIVE) ?

Thanks!
-r

[rogerdpack (Roger Pack)]

I see that the current way in windows somewhat mimic's how it operates in Unix (process is a zombie, so still responds to signals). If so, perhaps it would be nice to create a new method

Process.alive?(pid)

that would be useful in certain cases, like checking if a process is dead before closing streams to it.

So maybe change this to a feature request, if anybody can confirm the above.

Thanks.
-roger-

[usa (Usaku NAKAMURA)]

• Tracker changed from Bug to Feature

[mame (Yusuke Endoh)]

• Status changed from Open to Assigned
• Assignee set to usa (Usaku NAKAMURA)
• Target version set to 2.6

[usa (Usaku NAKAMURA)]

• Status changed from Assigned to Open
• Assignee deleted (usa (Usaku NAKAMURA))

[rrroybbbean (RRRoy BBBean)]

Sorry to jump in, but this might help.

In the past, I have had problems with the 'kill' command on Windows 7,
and I stopped using 'kill' on Windows over 4 years ago.

This problem with 'kill' was independent of Ruby. I found that 'kill'
did not (always/sometimes) work from the bash/cygwin command line. No
error. It just didn't work. I figured it was a just a windows thing.

I use the Windows Task Manager on Windows 7 to terminate processes
instead. It always works.

I only mention this because the problem raised may be caused by
underlying software libraries, and not Ruby.

On 10/21/2017 07:02 AM, [e-mail] wrote:

Issue #7082 has been updated by usa (Usaku NAKAMURA).

Status changed from Assigned to Open
Assignee deleted (usa (Usaku NAKAMURA))

---

Feature #7082: Process.kill 0 in windows can return spurious success
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/7082#change-67433

• Author: rogerdpack (Roger Pack)
• Status: Open
• Priority: Normal
• Assignee:
• Target version: next minor

---

a = IO.popen('ls "."', 'w')
=> #<IO:fd 4>
a.pid
=> 2104
Process.kill 0, 2104
=> 1 # should raise an exception since that process is dead now, shouldn't it? [it can be checked with GetExitCodeProcess != STILL_ACTIVE) ?

Thanks!
-r

[naruse (Yui NARUSE)]

• Target version deleted (2.6)