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From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: FreeBSD vs Linux
Date: 10 Apr 1996 07:52:54 GMT
Organization: Artisoft, Inc.
Lines: 60
Message-ID: <4kfpcm$dgs@coyote.Artisoft.COM>
References: <4issad$h1o@nadine.teleport.com> <31657509.5E45C160@gnu.ai.mit.edu> <4k4cfa$ava@uriah.heep.sax.de> <3169406A.61F8D18D@gnu.ai.mit.edu> <4kcsjc$ii@dyson.iquest.net> <316AA938.74276335@gnu.ai.mit.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: hecate.artisoft.com
"H.J. Lu" <hjl@gnu.ai.mit.edu> wrote:
] John S. Dyson wrote:
] >
] > can do to improve FreeBSD's quality right now. Given that
] > Linux NEEDED a real shared lib scheme, it was reasonable at
] > the time for Linux to adopt ELF. FreeBSD had a REAL shared
] > lib scheme for the last 2yrs at least.
]
] Correct me if I am wrong. There are no simple ways to create
] a shared C++ library under FreeBSD.
This is not true. FreeBSD supports the concept of linker sets,
and uses them correctly in the initialization of virtual base
classes, even without ELF.
] Also the MT support will not be as good as with ELF.
I don't understand why this would be the case -- can you explain?
] With ELF, you build a shared C++ library, just like a
] shared C library. No signle line of source code hack is
] needed. The same source code can be used to build static
] and shared libraries. No #ifdef hacks at all. That is just
] one of many things ELF can provide. If ELF is the standard for
] Unix, many new Unix softwares with new features can be written
] without much kludges.
Same for FreeBSD.
Linux is *really* not using any feature of ELF that isn't already
in the existing FreeBSD ld.so, compiler, linker, assembler, and
a.out format.
] Very few people really know how ELF can be used. I just install
] a popular commercial C++ class library on an ELF system.
] Although they support shared libraries under Solaris which
] is an ELF system. But their Makefile is not correct in building
] a shared shared under ELF. I had to comment out those -DSHAREDLIBRARY
] to build a shared ELF C++ library.
Maybe they were using -B... ;-).
] ELF is one opportunity for Unix to create new, innovative
] softwares. I hate to see Unix miss the chance.
We agree. But this opportunity has yet to become practice;
until it does, there is no compeilling reason to switch the
user base.
Build something cool with it that we can't do without it, and
we'll certainly switch.
Terry Lambert
terry@lambert.org
---
Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
or previous employers.