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From: cpenrose@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Christopher Penrose)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: where is libc.a?
Message-ID: <16974@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>
Date: 25 Feb 91 18:03:50 GMT
References: <1991Feb24.165644.10032@solo.csci.unt.edu> <5353@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> <1359@toaster.SFSU.EDU>
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In article <1359@toaster.SFSU.EDU> eps@cs.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott) writes:
>The problem with this is that there are occasionally legitimate
>reasons NOT to link with shared libraries--e.g. /bin/ls so
>
>I understand (and appreciate) NeXT's interest in protecting
>users from their own stupidity.  Making static links difficult is
>one thing, making them impossible is another.  NeXT can learn a
>lot from Sun on this one.

NeXT definitely should provide static libraries.  My experience with
shared libraries on Suns has been fairly nightmarish. On one of our
sparcstations, someone tried to replace a system shared object library, 
(libkvm.so.0.3).  Unfortunately, almost all sun system binaries
depend upon this library.  sh, csh, ls, even halt were all broken.
If you can't yank the system hard drive out, mount it on another
system and replace this file, you have to completely reinstall the
operating system.  I had to do the reinstallation.  yuck!  Anyway,
anyone want to remove or replace libsys_s.a while their machine is
running as a test?  I have an optical drive, so perhaps I'll try it
out when I feel reckless.
 
Sun has a few other shared library hoaxes:  Sun provides special system V
libraries as an installation option.  Some of our developers get the
libraries confused.

Christopher Penrose
cpenrose@ucsd.edu
jesus!penrose@esosun.css.gov  


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