Re: [gentoo-dev] Proper Gentoo Name (was License criteria for Gentoo)

[Paul de Vrieze <pauldv@cs.kun.nl>]

On Wednesday 25 September 2002 16:29, Moritz Schulte wrote:
> Paul de Vrieze <pauldv@cs.kun.nl> writes:
> > I know that, although one would probably still want a hurd that
> > complies to the linux interface, (provides the linux chasis) [...]
>
> What do you mean with "linux interface"?  I guess you mean the system
> call interface of Linux.  The Hurd itself cannot conform to that,
> because of it's design.
>
> In Linux - and in Unix in general - you can use the system services
> via system calls, a uniform way.  This includes accessing files,
> creating processes, networking, etc.  In the Hurd, there are seperate
> "servers" for such things and the services are used via RPCs.
>
> But since GNU aims POSIX compliance, of course, we have a POSIX
> interface , which is encapsulated in glibc.  So, POSIX compliance
> programs should compile on GNU/Hurd just as they do on GNU/Linux -
> with few exceptions.
>
> In case you were referring to a binary compatibility - which means:
> having the same ABI - that does not exist at the moment although there
> have been some discussions on that topic on the Hurd lists.
>

What I mean is binary compatibility meaning that you could one day decide to 
tell your bootloader (e.g. grub) not to load your favourite linux kernel, but 
to load another kernel (in the broad sense) such as HURD, and everything 
would still work. That doesn't mean it needs to be the most optimal way, but 
it must run.

Paul

-- 
Paul de Vrieze
Junior Researcher
Mail: pauldv@cs.kun.nl
Homepage: http://www.devrieze.net