Mailing-List: contact cygwin-help AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com; run by ezmlm List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: cygwin-owner AT sources DOT redhat DOT com Delivered-To: mailing list cygwin AT sources DOT redhat DOT com Posted-Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 16:59:17 -0500 (CDT) Reply-To: From: "Gary R. Van Sickle" To: "'DJ Delorie'" Cc: Subject: RE: RFC: linux compatibility Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 16:59:11 -0500 Message-ID: <000c01c03560$d1dfede0$1d01a8c0@BRAEMARINC.COM> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook CWS, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2911.0) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 Importance: Normal In-Reply-To: <200010132129.RAA22588@envy.delorie.com> > -----Original Message----- > From: DJ Delorie [mailto:dj AT delorie DOT com] > Sent: Friday, October 13, 2000 4:30 PM > To: tiberius AT braemarinc DOT com > Cc: cygwin AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com > Subject: Re: RFC: linux compatibility > > > 1. POSIX compliant, if for no other reason than it's the > right thing to do. > > We already have this as a goal. However, POSIX doesn't cover > everything. Plus, Linux also has POSIX as a goal. Downside: the > POSIX specs are expensive to purchase and not available online. > What about the "Single Unix Specification" at Opengroup (http://www.opengroup.org/publications/catalog/un.htm)? Does anyone know what relationship, if any, this has to POSIX? It's free and online AFAICT, at least what I've looked at. > > 2. "GNU compliant", by which I mean essentially that > anything that links > > and runs with glibc should work with Cygwin. > > Linux already uses glibc (at least, Red Hat Linux does), so tracking > linux gets us this already. Right, but how about we state it, "tracking glibc gets us Linux compatibility"? > However, there may be some things that > glibc supports that are fundamentally impossible under Windows. I > can't think of any off-hand, though. > You guys got Windows to fork(). You guys have darn near solved the text file line ending tragedy that has plagued our industry for decades. Friend, there ain't *nothing* fundamentally impossible for the Cygwin team! ;-) > > 3. "Other-Unii compatible", meaning that aything that can be added > > to the Cygwin mix that doesn't violate the above and yet allows it > > to be more compatible with other distributions should be added. > > Right. My suggestion is that Linux be the "other Unix" we've chosen > to be compatible with. But why choose? Obviously some things may overlap to the extent that such idealistic thinking isn't possible, but is that where you're at right now? Taking your example, is it not possible to support *both* SYSV and BSD timezone APIs? To wrap one with the other? > It's much easier to say "it's just like Linux" > than to say "this part is like Linux, but this part is like IRIX, and > this part is like Solaris". > But all you do is trade "which Unix is it like?" questions for "why isn't it like my favorite Unix, {Solaris/IRIX/FreeBSD/whatever}?" questions. That one sounds even harder to answer. Gary R. Van Sickle (tiberius AT braemarinc DOT com) Braemar Inc. 11481 Rupp Dr. Burnsville, MN 55337 -- Want to unsubscribe from this list? Send a message to cygwin-unsubscribe AT sourceware DOT cygnus DOT com