Re: include file conflict

H. Peter Anvin (hpa@transmeta.com)
Sat, 14 Nov 1998 15:32:36 -0800 (PST)

>
> ... Obviously, anything bypassing the libc
> interface needs to use kernel protocols, data type, data structures, etc.
>
> That is not obvious at all. A grave mistake, in fact.
> The kernel presents an API to the outside world.
> Whatever the kernel does internally is none of your business,
> and will change from week to week. But the API remains fairly
> stable, with features being added but not changed.
>

What I'm saying is that this API description may need to be available
both to the kernel code and to user space code.

>
> You make the mistake of thinking that people run their programs
> under the same kernel as these programs are compiled under.
> But that is false. People switch back and forth between 2.0.* and 2.1.*,
> upgrade kernels every now and then, without recompiling all
> their utilities. Indeed, most utilities from 1992 function fine today.
>

Last I checked (late 1995), static compiled binaries from 1992 won't
even execute on current Linux. I still have a bunch of them on 5 1/4"
floppies.

-hpa

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