Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!hp-pcd!hpcvlx!tomg
From: tomg@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com (Thomas J. Gilg)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Flaw in Xt init sequence (but with simple fix)
Message-ID: <100920307@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com>
Date: 5 Mar 91 22:23:32 GMT
References: <1991Feb28.005057.24723@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA
Lines: 32


> Entirely too many operating system vendors are doing this "handy"
> pre-resolution in their supposed shared libraries.  They should all be
> given a good spanking by the ISV community.

The real crime isn't the "monolithic package" technology, it's that they
misnamed the technology as "shared libraries"; I agree its very misleading.

If one can live with the restrictions of monolithic packages however, there
are some performance gains (X needs help there too).   Its great for building
operating systems, X Servers/drivers and such around.  Of course, a true shared
library implementation can still generate monolithic packages as desired by
linking the little .o's

Re: the flaw, another trick I've heard of is that some shared library/module
implementations support a main() routine for the library (handy for C++ static
constructors).   When the library/module is loaded, the main() routine if there
is one gets executed.  I think the libXm/Xt/X problem can be hidden from the
developer in this way.

BTW - the lack of a true shared library technology on a vendors OS is not
grounds for calling them non-UNIX.   Expand on that, EVERY vendor I know
of has some non-standard, never fully defined in UNIX, features.   UNIX might
be great, but its not the be-all do-all OS for all of man kind.  Keeping an
open mind can help UNIX progress even farther.

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