Re: [PATCH for mm] Remove iBCS support

From: David Newall <davidn@davidnewall.com>
To: Andi Kleen <andi@firstfloor.org>
Cc: akpm@osdl.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH for mm] Remove iBCS support
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:16:25 +1030	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <4792D221.1010704@davidnewall.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20080120031153.GB6275@one.firstfloor.org>

Andi Kleen wrote:
> On Sun, Jan 20, 2008 at 12:57:29PM +1030, David Newall wrote:
>   
>> compatibility.  This is a sleeping giant for Linux.  There are plenty of
>>     
>
> Interesting choice of words.
>   
KFC and Dominoes use SCO for their cash registers, to pick just two
enormous future opportunities.

> But it does not make sense for all Linux kernels to always check for iBCS executables
> when they don't have to code to run them anyways.
>   

I don't suppose you're suggesting this will make a big difference.  Even
if every exec did nothing but immediately exit, it still wouldn't make
much difference.

Likewise, I take your point about proper iBCS support (and I suppose
it's really iBCS2 that we're talking about.)  My concern is that
removing this now gains almost nothing, 2 strcmp per exec is as close to
nothing as anything, but it sends a message with which I disagree.  The
message should be that Linux is good for, well the same things FreeBSD
is, and includes running Solaris and SCO binaries.  This is a major
simplification of the story, I know, but still hits the plot highlights.