diff options
author | David E. O'Brien <obrien@FreeBSD.org> | 1998-02-28 23:03:41 +0000 |
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committer | David E. O'Brien <obrien@FreeBSD.org> | 1998-02-28 23:03:41 +0000 |
commit | a79b2dca806a4bf76915bd89c0864d3d2aa3c2f4 (patch) | |
tree | fac66d770f0d17535d2ee2d9b03acd52921f24f5 | |
parent | 8a70b41c4796be87643c5551c4301543b04bf9db (diff) | |
download | doc-a79b2dca806a4bf76915bd89c0864d3d2aa3c2f4.tar.gz doc-a79b2dca806a4bf76915bd89c0864d3d2aa3c2f4.zip |
Update information about ELF and running DOS binaries.
Note: I am pulling this out of thin air and should be reviewed by someone
more knowledgeable about -CURRENT (M$-DOS binaries) and the ELF issue.
PR: docs/5837
Notes
Notes:
svn path=/head/; revision=2499
-rw-r--r-- | FAQ/misc.sgml | 38 |
1 files changed, 21 insertions, 17 deletions
diff --git a/FAQ/misc.sgml b/FAQ/misc.sgml index 05caef35db..30d675d0db 100644 --- a/FAQ/misc.sgml +++ b/FAQ/misc.sgml @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ -<!-- $Id: misc.sgml,v 1.1 1997-11-03 08:53:49 max Exp $ --> +<!-- $Id: misc.sgml,v 1.2 1998-02-28 23:03:41 obrien Exp $ --> <!-- The FreeBSD Documentation Project --> <sect> @@ -61,13 +61,13 @@ name="brandelf"> for more information. </itemize> - <p>FreeBSD comes from the "classic" camp and uses the - <htmlurl url="http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?a.out(5)" + <p>FreeBSD comes from the "classic" camp and has traditionally used + the <htmlurl url="http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?a.out(5)" name="a.out"> format, a technology tried and proven through many generations of BSD releases. Though it has also been possible for some time to build and run native <tt/ELF/ binaries (and - kernels) on a FreeBSD system, no official "push" to switch to - ELF as the default format has, as yet, been made. Why? Well, + kernels) on a FreeBSD system, FreeBSD initially resisted the "push" + to switch to <tt/ELF/ as the default format. Why? Well, when the Linux camp made their painful transition to <tt/ELF/, it was not so much to flee the <tt/a.out/ executable format as it was their inflexible jump-table based shared library @@ -78,15 +78,19 @@ migration cost was accepted as necessary and the transition made. - <p>In FreeBSD's case, it's not quite so simple since our shared + <p>In FreeBSD's case, our shared library mechanism is based more closely on Sun's <tt>SunOS</tt>-style shared library mechanism and, as such, is very - easy to use. The only thing we actually lack with <tt/a.out/ - which <tt/ELF/ would give us is cleaner support for C++ constructors - and destructors, among other similarly esoteric things, and it - simply hasn't become much of a problem yet (and there is quite - a bit of C++ code in FreeBSD's source tree). Should that change, - a migration may, at some point, be more seriously contemplated. + easy to use. + However, starting with 3.0, FreeBSD will offically support <tt/ELF/ + binaries as the default format. Even though the <tt/a.out/ + executable format has served us well, the GNU people, who author the + compiler tools we use, have dropped support for the <tt/a.out/ + format. This has forced us to maintain a divergent version of + the compler and linker, and has kept us from reaping the benefits + of the latest GNU development efforts. Also the demands of + ISO-C++, notably contstructors and destructors, has also led to + native <tt/ELF/ support in future FreeBSD releases. <sect1> <heading>Why won't chmod change the permissions on symlinks?</heading> @@ -132,13 +136,13 @@ <sect1> <heading>Can I run DOS binaries under FreeBSD?</heading> - <p>Not yet, though BSDI has just donated their <tt/rundos/ DOS emulation - subsystem which we're now working on integrating and enhancing. Send - mail to <url url="mailto:emulation@freebsd.org" + <p>Yes, starting with version 3.0 you can using BSDI's <tt/rundos/ + DOS emulation which has been integrated and enhanced. + Send mail to <url url="mailto:emulation@freebsd.org" name="The FreeBSD emulation discussion list"> if you're interested in - joining this effort! + joining this ongoing effort! - <p>For now, there is a neat utility called + <p>For pre-3.0 systems, there is a neat utility called <htmlurl url="http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/ports.cgi?^pcemu" name="pcemu"> in the ports collection which emulates an 8088 and enough BIOS services to run DOS text mode applications. It requires the X Window |