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From: woods@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Greg Woods)
Date: Fri, 26-Aug-88 22:05:49 EDT
Message-ID: <1988Aug26.220549.14910@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Organization: G. A. W. Consulting
Newsgroups: comp.unix.microport,comp.sys.att,comp.databases
Subject: Re: (386) Unix (In)compatibilities Summary
References: <1988Aug19.200035.5056@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> <1393@spp2.UUCP>
Reply-To: woods@gpu.utcs.Toronto.EDU (Greg Woods)
Distribution: comp
Keywords: 386 intel unix binary compatability

In article <1393@spp2.UUCP> baur@spp2.UUCP (Steven L. Baur) writes:
> in article <1988Aug19.200035.5056@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>, woods@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Greg Woods) says:
> > ...
> > I wouldn't call it coincidence.  I would have been VERY suprised if
> > something didn't work.
> 
> UNIX binaries are not in general compatible across versions of UNIX for the
> same CPU.
> For example, most MC68k Unix systems call programs [......]

I was talking about the i386 versions!!!!!!!!!!

I don't give a shit about the many different ways the dozens (if not
more) ports of the dozens (again: if not more) versions of Unix to the
MC68K series of cpu's operate!

ALL current i386 implementations of Unix System V Release 3 are derived
from the same porting base (as far as I know) [ NOTE:  The Sun 386i Unix
is an apparently a port of SunOS, which is BSD 4.2 derived (YEAH!). ]
{ Can I state this any clearer?  Is "clearer" a word?  Can I state this
any more clearly?  Now _I'm_ confused. :-) }

Any incompatabilities possible between these versions MUST be due to
differences in device drivers (ioctl's) or other features added by the
vendor.  (ie:  ISC probably add kernel support for VP/ix in ways
different from the kernel support Microport will have to add/have added
for Merge/386.)

ANY binary compiled from sources that conform to the SVID _should_ run
on any derivative of this version of Unix, regardless of which version
it was originally compiled on, and regardless of which compiler was used.

I am _extremely_ interested in hearing from anyone with contradictory
experiences.
-- 
						Greg Woods.

UUCP: utgpu!woods, utgpu!{ontmoh, ontmoh!ixpierre}!woods
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