Re: Starting xconsole R6

[Bill Hogan <bhogan@rahul.net>]

"MC" == Mark Constable <markc@ion.com.au> writes:

  MC> I'm using v1.1 and trying to get a "clean" ELF system so I'm not
running an a.out (COFF?) compat kernel or module ...

    No.
    
    I stand corrected.

    My present (mis)understanding goes something like this:

    a.out, COFF, and ELF are three non-interchangeable ways of
formatting executable files.
 
    a.out for Unix X is not the same as a.out for Unix Y.

    BSD-ish a.out more or less evolved into COFF.

    At some point, SVRx-ish Unix decided to freeze a.out and to
completely rework the problem of formatting executable object files --
and the result of this is what is known as ELF.

    I have been told the big advantage that ELF has over COFF is that
the definition of ELF is an industry-wide standard (like POSIX?),
whereas the definition of COFF is not.

    In short,

* all modern Unices support ELF;

in addition,

* BSD-ish Unices can be expected to continue to provide a useful
degree of support for COFF and their respective a.out formats, 

and

* SVRx-sh Unices can be expected to continue to provide a useful
degree of support for their respective a.out formats

for the foreseeable future.

    I hope this is a little closer to the truth.

    Bill

-- 
<bhogan@rahul.net> |- "5. Improve constantly and forever the system of
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