linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] x86: Deprecate a.out support

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Date:   Tue, 12 Mar 2019 19:38:24 +1300
From:   Michael Cree <mcree@...on.net.nz>
To:     Matt Turner <mattst88@...il.com>
Cc:     Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>,
        Måns Rullgård <mans@...sr.com>,
        Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>,
        Alan Cox <gnomes@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
        Matthew Wilcox <willy@...radead.org>,
        Jann Horn <jannh@...gle.com>,
        Al Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        kernel list <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        linux-fsdevel <linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org>,
        the arch/x86 maintainers <x86@...nel.org>,
        Linux API <linux-api@...r.kernel.org>,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Richard Weinberger <richard@....at>,
        Anton Ivanov <anton.ivanov@...bridgegreys.com>,
        linux-alpha <linux-alpha@...r.kernel.org>,
        linux-m68k <linux-m68k@...ts.linux-m68k.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] x86: Deprecate a.out support

On Mon, Mar 11, 2019 at 03:11:55PM -0700, Matt Turner wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 11, 2019 at 2:34 PM Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de> wrote:
> > On Mon, Mar 11, 2019 at 8:47 PM Måns Rullgård <mans@...sr.com> wrote:
> > > Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org> writes:
> > > > On Mon, Mar 11, 2019 at 11:08 AM Måns Rullgård <mans@...sr.com> wrote:
> > > > We don't have any specific support for ECOFF.
> > > >
> > > > I _think_. Again, it's been years and years.

I agree. I personally have never run any OSF/1 executables on
Linux Alpha and have no interest in doing so.

> > The main historic use case I've heard of was running Netscape
> > Navigator on Alpha Linux, before there was an open source version.
> > Doing this today to connect to the open internet is probably
> > a bit pointless, but there may be other use cases.
> 
> The best use case I know of is to run their C compiler. Måns sent
> patches in fact to make it work.
> 
> There is a Linux version of the same compiler but I have a vague
> memory that it's broken in various ways that the Tru64 version is
> not.

The last time I tried the Compaq C compiler for Alpha-Linux it still
worked, well, that is, the compiler worked, but the library header
files are broken and haven't worked with glibc for a long time.  So
it is only useful as a free-standing compiler.

In the past it also produced better code than gcc, but gcc is now
so vastly improved w.r.t. optimisation and compliance to more recent
standards, that I would be surprised if there is any real use for
the Compaq compiler.

Cheers,
Michael.