Re: libc5 FAQ
Hi,
My contention is: if we are talking about a program that needs
kernel headers, and can't be satisfied with the headers included in
the libc5-dev package (which corresponds to 2.0.29, or something),
that means we are talking about a program that needs some very
specific kernel data structures, and can't do with the definition of
that data structure included in the libc headers.
I assume that the program uses this version specific data
structure (or else why require to see this specifically?); that means
it uses it in interaction with the kernel in some way.
So, since it can't use the definition contained in the headers
of a different kernel, as this definition would be different and
possiby meaningless,
Therefore running this program on any other kernel than the
one it was compiled for is meaningless, and would probably cause it
to crash and burn.
If at this point someone says it is not so, that it can run on
any kernel, then I say it should not require the headers of the
kernel sources on the developers machine (which may or may not
correspond to the running kernel) as opposed to the headers from
2.0.29 included in libc5.
In any case, I shall not include directions about the net
headers, since any one maintaining a programme that requires such an
intimate iteraction with the kernel should have the knowledge to
affect this in a version independent fashion.
Also, any programme this closely connected to the kernel
version should have the version of the kernel it was compiled for in
the name, a-la-pcmcia-cs, and should take extreme care on *every*
invocation that the current kernel version is the same as the one
it was compiled for, in case the bug is subtle and not easy to
detect.
manoj
--
Manoj Srivastava <url:mailto:srivasta@acm.org>
Mobile, Alabama USA <url:http://www.datasync.com/%7Esrivasta/>
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