5 ms·
Software using obscure kernel interfaces does keep private copies of kernel data structures. The reason is that people want the software to have full functiona
by burfog 7y ago
Software using obscure kernel interfaces does keep private copies of kernel data structures.
The reason is that people want the software to have full functionality no matter what system is used for building it. You can build on an old system, with a kernel that totally lacks the functionality, and produce a binary that can use the new kernel interfaces when run on a system that has them.
- asveikau 7y agoGlibc certainly does this, I would expect for limited periods per interface. It is often at the cutting edge of kernel interfaces, so that becomes necessary during interim periods. I really doubt it makes sense for old and stable things like ifconfig, or a tipical application.
- matheusmoreira 7y ago> Glibc certainly does this > It is often at the cutting edge of kernel interfaces Is it? It seems like support for Linux-specific features can take years. The getrandom system call, for example: https://lwn.net/Articles/711013/ https://lwn.net/Articles/711013/
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]