7 Oct
2024
7 Oct
'24
3:04 a.m.
On Mon, 7 Oct 2024, Harald Arnesen via cctalk wrote:
Sure, I have tested it myself. I can't see a regular user having a need to run
a random libc5-program will manage to do this (hunt down the libraries needed
and the like).
Running 25 years old a piece of software in a new deployment has never
been a regular use case. Support is there in the OS, but I agree that
making the individual thing run can be a challenge, and if one feels
incapable of taking it, they can always ask/hire someone to do it for
them. Software freedom does not imply freedom from challenges or free
support.
FWIW compiling 25 years old a piece of software is even tougher, unless
you use contemporary tools in a contemporary environment, so while the
availability of the source code is surely always worth appreciating, the
challenge to make them run is not any smaller.
NB if you clean up old a.out support and submit it for re-inclusion in
Linux along with a serious offer to maintain it long-term, then it may
well end up being accepted. You have the option to maintain it off-tree
too.
Maciej
Have you tried to run any libc5-program lately? Or
a.out binaries?
Does WordPerfect 8 (released in 1998) count?
If so, yes, I have:
https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/20/wordperfect_for_unix_for_linux/
Instructions to install it yourself:
https://www.xwp8users.com/wp81script.htm