linux cross-development (was: Re: /dev/null: No such file or directory)

[Alexander Leidinger]

Quoting Kris Kennaway <kris at obsecurity.org> (from Wed, 20 Sep 2006  
16:02:15 -0400):

> Actually none of these seem to be critical for typical compilation
> needs, except for /dev and /tmp.  The former you'll have to mount
> devfs to supply (in principle linux_devtools can do this
> automatically, by startup script), and you can make linux_devtools
> create a /compat/linux/tmp to handle that problem too (it's not ideal
> to have it use a private /tmp, but not a big deal either).

Try to print something in acroread while having /compat/linux/tmp.  
Acroread will use the linux tmp while the FreeBSD native lpr command  
(configured in acroread to be able to print something) searches in the  
FreeBSD tmp.

Currently you don't need to mount anything for a lot of linux programs  
to work just fine. I like to keep it this way as long as possible.

The common case is that people just use the linux base to run linux  
programs, and not to cross-develop something. What's the problem to  
tell those people which want to cross-develop something to use the  
linux_dist ports? Maintaining linux_base as it is is not hard (if you  
know the pitfalls and some design decissions). Maintaining linux_dist  
is easy too (it borrows a lot of knowledge from linux_base).  
Maintaining a linux_base and a linux_devtools port which uses the  
linux_base port is much harder than maintaining distinct linux_base  
and linux_dist ports. And distinct ports don't cause as much problems  
(see the icc part below for an example) as a combination.

> Kris
>
> P.S. I'm not sure that falling through some of the etc/ files will
> DTRT, since Linux may require a different file format.

Passwd seems to be compatible enough for GTK to not complain (it  
complains when someone uses NIS but hasn't setup the corresponding  
linux config file, I don't know if this NIS config is compatible so  
that we could depend upon a fallthrough). The printer configuration is  
not necessary to be compatible, we use the FreeBSD native print  
commands.

BTW: ATM we have CONFLICTS between icc and linux_devtools. Icc is a  
linux binary which generates FreeBSD native binaries. When  
linux_devtools is installed icc picks up linux stuff and can't  
generate FreeBSD native binaries. Not a major problem, but a nuisance  
for those which want to use both.

Bye,
Alexander.

-- 
I've always made it a solemn practice to never
drink anything stronger than tequila before breakfast.
		-- R. Nesson

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