Re: [klibc] klibc and what's the next step?

Michael Tokarev
2006-07-11T18:02:17Z

Olaf Hering wrote:
> On Tue, Jul 11, Michael Tokarev wrote:
>
>> Olaf Hering wrote:
>> []
>>> To create the initrd you needed a loop file, at least for ext2, minix etc.
>> It's just damn trivial to pack your files into cpio archive and gzip it.
>
> The point is not how trivial it is. The point is how much has to change
> that you can run 2.6.42 on an 42 year old installation with the tools
> that were available at that time.

I'd say you've ZERO chance to run just new kernel. You will need more
recent glibc, never softraid tools, you will discover that /dev/hdXX are
all gone, and so on.

> Obiviously you cant be bothered to install newer packages, like kinit.rpm.
> Basic backwards compatibilty. Its not a term from the klingon dictionary.

Well. I'd say it's not that obvious. For example, I can't boot redhat-6.0
system with current 2.6 kernel (I once tried that, probably with 2.6.9 or
something - there were quite.. some problems. Upgrading several packages,
including glibc compiled against 2.6 kernel, solved that. Some stuff was
still broken, but I didn't try hard). BTW, devfs is just one example...
try to boot a one-year-old gentoo distro (not 42, but 1) with current
2.6 without devfs... ;)

Another point is: why the heck you want to boot such 42-years-old system
with current "best, grestest" kernel, anyway?

> Btw, kinit is already taken, some kerberos thing.

Heh. Yes it is.

/mjt