Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!dptspd!iquery!matt
From: matt@iquery.PIC.COM (Matt Reedy)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.programmer
Subject: Re: Books on portibility between Unixes?
Summary: No silver bullets
Message-ID: <496@iquery.PIC.COM>
Date: 11 May 91 15:10:13 GMT
References: <1991May9.181650.12516@homecare.COM>
Followup-To: comp.unix.programmer
Organization: Programmed Intelligence, San Antonio
Lines: 27

In article <1991May9.181650.12516@homecare.COM> jessea@homecare.COM (Jesse W. Asher) writes:
>I'd like to write some software that is very portable between different
>types of Unix.  I'm not just talking about BSD vs. SystemV, but also how
>different system's compilers handle various functions differently.  I've
> ...
>and that has given me ideas.  But does anyone know of a good publication
>on this type of programming?

We've experienced the same difficulties.  The problem is compounded by
various *versions* of OS's on the same box (e.g. HP-UX V 3.0 and V 7.0 etc).
The only way we've found to resolve the problem is to have the programmer's
reference manual for 3 Unix environments: SVR3, 4.2BSD, and Xenix.  Before
we use a new library function or #ifdef, we check the manuals for all
three of these platforms.  Only if the function/ifdef is available on
all three do we use it.  (We actually also reference a 4th platform: VAX/VMS,
but we won't discuss that here ;-)  

I'd be very interested also if there are any good publications in this
area.

matt

-- 
Matthew Reedy                 UUCP: uunet!iquery!matt
Programmed Intelligence Corp. Internet: matt@pic.COM
400 N Loop 1604 E, Suite 100
San Antonio, TX  78232        (512) 490 6684  Fax: (512) 490-3590