Re: Are applications for Linux platform specific?

David Woodhouse (Dave@imladris.demon.co.uk)
Tue, 19 May 1998 14:47:41 +0200

dpates@kalifornia.com said:
> On Tue, 19 May 1998, Jose M. Fandos wrote:
> > I'm talking about apps in binary format, executables, made for
> > Linux. Will they run in any hard with Linux? I guess... not, but
> > may be someone can assure me that.
>
> No, they won't. When they're built, the compiler you use is specific to a
> particular OS/processor combination, and so are the binaries generated.

Unless you're using an Alpha, in which case it'll run Intel binaries if you ask
it nicely and if they're old ones that are linked with libc5 (otherwise it
tries to load the Alpha libc6, which confuses the hell out of the emulator :)

Also, you can often run binaries from different operating systems, especially
other Unix-like ones. Linux/x86 can run SCO, Solaris/x86, BSD binaries AFAIK.
Linux/SPARC can run SunOS or Solaris binaries, and Linux/Alpha does DEC Unix.

As I understand it, Unix98 compliant programs linked against glibc should run
transparently on any operating system that glibc is present on, as long as the
processor remains the same. So you should, for example, be able to use
Linux/SPARC binaries on Solaris as long as you have glibc for Solaris
installed.

---- ---- ----
David Woodhouse, Robinson College, CB3 9AN, England. (+44) 0976 658355
Dave@imladris.demon.co.uk http://www.imladris.demon.co.uk
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