Re: Solaris source

David A Rusling (rusling@linux.reo.dec.com)
Mon, 28 Apr 1997 21:43:01 +0100

> On Mon, 28 Apr 1997, David S. Miller wrote:
>
> > I hear Solaris/x86 is selling like hot cakes these days anyways, so we
> > have a lot to worry about it seems... 8-)
>
> Speaking of which, now that we have:
>
> SCO/Intel -> Linux/Intel
> Linux/Intel -> Linux/Alpha
> DU/Alpha -> Linux/Alpha
> SunOS/Sparc -> Linux/Sparc
> Solaris/Sparc -> Linux/Sparc
> (Pardon me if I missed any)
>
> running, especially the later two, are there any plans to get
>
> Solaris/Intel -> Linux/Intel
>
> working? David & Miguel's Sparc/Linux paper seemed to intimate that
> Solaris emulation was not hard, even after SunOS emulation took all the
> reserved slot thingie-whatsits. I'm curious, given that the four
> applications which run on Solaris/Intel might, if runnable under Linux,
> draw an entire 10 new customers to the Linux community. In the face of
> this onslaught by Sun, no emulation suite is too low for us to consider.
> 8^)
>

Given that we've just released an alpha of Intel Linux emulation for
Alpha Linux (pardon the pun) allowing you to run Intel Linux binaries
such as Applix/Netscape, I wonder how much work Solaris emulation on
Alpha Linux would be?

Also, as a side note, our company strategy towards Linux on Alpha is
to embrace it. It poses no real threat to Digital Unix, our experience
is that we have made board/system sales because of Linux that we would
not have made otherwise. Selling Alpha Linux systems has sometimes
leveraged sales of Digital Unix servers. It really is a win-win
situation for us.

Linux is a good little operating system (I always liked the phrase
'the operating system that could'). It may be going through a few
growing pains (eg 2.0.* stability issues) but those can be fixed, and
they are _growing_ pains and not _shrinking_ pains...

Dave

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David A Rusling Principal Engineer
European Semiconductor Applications Digital Equipment Co Ltd.,
Engineering PO Box 121,
Imperial Way,
Worton Grange
Reading RG2 0TU
Linux, Alpha, StrongArm, PCI Tel: UK-(0)1734-204380
Fax: UK-(0)1734-203133
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