Bug#1880: Compile error dpkg-1.0.5.tar.gz

[Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk>]

In November I wrote:
> Jos Vos writes ("Bug#1880: Compile error dpkg-1.0.5.tar.gz"):
> > Package: dpkg
> >
> > I try to compile dpkg-1.0.5, both with GCC 2.5.8 (a.out target) and
> > GCC 2.7.0 (ELF target) and in both cases I got:
> >
> > filesdb.c: In function `sysinfo':
> > filesdb.c:30: `__NR_sysinfo' undeclared (first use this function)
> > filesdb.c:30: (Each undeclared identifier is reported only once
> > filesdb.c:30: for each function it appears in.)
> > make[1]: *** [filesdb.o] Error 1
> > make[1]: Leaving directory `/var/tmp/dpkg-1.0.5/main'
> > make: *** [all] Error 2
> >
> > Note: I don't have Debian installed, but I need dpkg to unpack some
> > of the Debian packages.
> >
> > I just did a "./configure" (worked fine) and "make", which gave the
> > above result.
> >
> > Thanks for any help.
>
> How am I supposed to use the `sysinfo' system call from an ELF
> program ?  Or, from an a.out one for that matter - the system call
> exists but doesn't appear in the a.out libc.

Would the libc maintainer care to comment ?  See also my outstanding
report #1607 regarding sysinfo.

Ian.