linux-kernel - Re: FatELF patches...

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Message-ID: <20091102161127.GA1432522@hiwaay.net>
Date:	Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:11:27 -0600
From:	Chris Adams <cmadams@...aay.net>
To:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: FatELF patches...

Once upon a time, Ryan C. Gordon <icculus@...ulus.org> said:
>I wouldn't imagine this is the target audience for FatELF. For embedded 
>devices, just use the same ELF files you've always used.

What _is_ the target audience?

As I see it, there are three main groups of Linux consumers:

- embedded: No interest in this; adds significant bloat, generally
  embedded systems don't allow random binaries anyway

- enterprise distributions (e.g. Red Hat, SuSE): They have specific
  supported architectures, with partner programs to support those archs.
  If something is supported, they can support all archs with
  arch-specific binaries.

- community distributions (e.g. Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian): This would
  greatly increase build infrastructure complexity, mirror disk space,
  and download bandwidth, and (from a user perspective) slow down update
  downloads significantly.

If you don't have buy-in from at least a large majority of one of these
segments, this is a big waste.  If none of the above support it, it will
not be used by any binary-only software distributors.

Is any major distribution (enterprise or community) going to use this?
If not, kill it now.

-- 
Chris Adams <cmadams@...aay.net>
Systems and Network Administrator - HiWAAY Internet Services
I don't speak for anybody but myself - that's enough trouble.
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