Re: High UID support for Linux

H. Peter Anvin (hpa@transmeta.com)
26 Nov 1998 20:35:51 GMT

Followup to: <73hjqd$h54@pell.pell.portland.or.us>
By author: o.r.c@p.e.l.l.p.o.r.t.l.a.n.d.o.r.u.s (david parsons)
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> >Not that easy... the datatypes themselves would have to change, which
> >means the old binaries would be useless.
>
> I'm not so sure about that; elf compatability may be [1] a lost
> cause, but since a.out uses jump tables, all I'd need to do is move
> the entry points for the new library calls up past where the older
> calls are. I'd guess it would bloat libc by 40 to 50k (ick) to
> thread the new calls into the existing library, but it's still
> a very small library.
>

But now you have completely changed the ABI.

>
> >And at that point, they
> >might as well just switch to glibc.
>
> Get back to me when an a.out glibc that can fit on an install
> floppy is written [2].
>
> [1: and probably is.]

Not any more than a.out compatibility: libc 5 uses the SysV
xstat/xchown hack.

> [2: libc 4.8.0 is 412 blocks long; if glibc is clocking in at
> that size range, please let me know.]
>

a.out glibc???

-hpa

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