linux-kernel - Re: a.out coredumping: fix or delete?

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Date:   Wed, 6 Mar 2019 09:45:13 -0800
From:   Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>
To:     Alan Cox <gnomes@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>
Cc:     "Theodore Y. Ts'o" <tytso@....edu>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Matthew Wilcox <willy@...radead.org>,
        Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>, Jann Horn <jannh@...gle.com>,
        Al Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>,
        kernel list <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Linux FS Devel <linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org>,
        "the arch/x86 maintainers" <x86@...nel.org>,
        Linux API <linux-api@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: a.out coredumping: fix or delete?

On Wed, Mar 6, 2019 at 8:53 AM Alan Cox <gnomes@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk> wrote:
>
> On Wed, 6 Mar 2019 09:11:44 -0500
> "Theodore Y. Ts'o" <tytso@....edu> wrote:
>
> > On Wed, Mar 06, 2019 at 01:25:17PM +0100, Thomas Gleixner wrote:
> > > > It's been 25 years since Linux added support for ELF.  Can we just
> > > > delete the a.out support entirely now?  According to the Linux-ELF HOWTO,
> > > > support was added in 1.1.52 (August 1994).  It's pretty much necromancy
> > > > at this point.
> > >
> > > The Kernel-Necrophilia cult members might disagree. :)
> > >
> > > But yes, good riddance.
> >
> > Doesn't Minix 1.0 use a.out?  It *is* cool to be able to binaries from
> > run dead operating systems.  :-)
>
> Minixemu compiled fine ELF last time I checked 8). It does need  a 32bit
> system as it still uses virtual 86 model.
>

While I consider vm86() to be a giant turd, I also consider it to be
supported and even wrote it a somewhat decent test suite :)