Everyone's getting tired of people asking questions like "why does top
give a floating point error ?" and other such questions. It has been
suggested that a file be added to the 1.3.x distribution with a list of
what utils newbies to the series need to have to run them.
I think such a file would be a useful idea, so I'll try to compile one
and send it to Linus.
Here's a list of what I know is definitely needed:
procps-0.99a (available at tsx-11)
modules-1.3.57 (or later? 57 is available at the same location as the kernel)
ppp-2.2.0e (or later? Linus posted a suggestion that maybe the latest is
contributing to the weird slowdowns some have encountered. I haven't a
clue about where this would be found, as I don't need ppp.)
Are there any others I've missed?
In addition, there are useful programs that are not necessary, but are
new to the series, so should probably be included.
Examples include
quotas
process accounting (?? Has this made it into the kernel? If so, I'm
sure it requires apps, though I don't know which ones)
I'm sure there are others that I haven't thought of.
This doesn't really need to be hashed out over the group. If anyone
maintains a package (for example, procps) that has to be upgraded for
1.3.x (especially where x >= 86 ;-), please just email me with the necessary
version and a location of the upgrade. If you want, a short description of
symptoms caused by not upgrading (for example, "The latest procps is
0.99a, available at tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/beta/procps. Everyone
running 1.3.x should upgrade to avoid weird errors like floating point
exceptions.") would be nice. Also, if you've created something new for
1.3.x (for example, the quota package), info about that would be nice as
well.
After I get all these, I'll whip out a readme.clueless.newbie (or
something slightly more tactful ;-) and send it to Linus. If developers are
willing to keep me updated with latest releases, this would also be a
nice service for not-quite-so-clueless 1.3.x users. For example, many
people have been running 1.3.x for a long time, and are aware of the
procps updates and how to fix it, but don't know where some of the more
obscure tools (like quotas or ip accounting) might be found. A readme
with a quick summary of packages and locations could be useful for all
running 1.3.x (and especially when it reaches 2.0 status and everyone
running 1.2.13 upgrades).
thanks,
chris ricker
p.s. I realize there is the linux-kernel-victims page. To me, the two
efforts would be complementary, but not terribly overlapping.
Another question for someone who knows: what's the absolute oldest libc
and gcc that can be used? I'd assume gcc 2.6.3 and libc 5.0.9, but
really don't know....