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> Linux desperately needs to get past the notion that libc is the only gateway to the kernel, Are you sure about that? Linux doesn't have that notion, it keeps

> Linux desperately needs to get past the notion that libc is the only gateway to the kernel, Are you sure about that? Linux doesn't have that notion, it keeps the syscal ABI stable, and anyone can use it directly, like Go does. There's no need to go through blessed syscall library, which on their respective systems are the only gateway to the kernel.

masklinn 8y ago
The biggest advantage is that it lets other OS easily impersonate linux e.g. SmartOS or Windows can provide kernel-level "linux persona" and have an unmodified linux userland run on top.
- int0x80 8y ago
  They can do right now. Both the API and ABI are very rarely (read never but very problematic bugs or similar) broken in a backwards way.
  - masklinn 8y ago
    That's my point. It's only possible with Linux because Linux provides a stable kernel ABI. You can't impersonate Windows or OSX the same way.
    - int0x80 8y ago
      Ahh sorry, I understood the other way around :)
    - int_19h 8y ago
      But you can impersonate Windows by providing your own implementation of the Kernel32 API. What's the essential difference between that, and emulating syscall API?