Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 09:56:33 -0800 (PST) From: Steve Kargl <sgk@troutmask.apl.washington.edu> To: rivers@dignus.com (Thomas David Rivers) Cc: hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: linux software installation and uname Message-ID: <199811091756.JAA10389@troutmask.apl.washington.edu> In-Reply-To: <199811091735.MAA23943@lakes.dignus.com> from Thomas David Rivers at "Nov 9, 1998 12:35: 5 pm"
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According to Thomas David Rivers: > > > > to report "Linux" to install the software. With the > > expected availability of more commericial software for Linux, > > it seems necessary to provide uname(1) the capability to > > report "Linux" in place of "FreeBSD". > > We've been here before. The consensus - after considerable > debate - was to not make such a change. It was only a pro-active suggestion. I was unaware of previous debate. > The problem is that several automated processes - particularly > WEB related - use uname to determine what kind of machines > they are running on. If we return "Linux" - then we inflate > the linux numbers at the cost of our own. It's better to infate the linux numbers, than to cut-off one's only means to run certain software. For example, there are no open source Fortran 90 compilers. You must purchase a commerical F90 compiler and run it under linux emulation. > In my particular instance, I was able to persuade the vendor > that it was artificially limiting its customer base. And thus, > the uname check was changed to accept either "FreeBSD" or "Linux". > Perhaps you could do the same with the Lahey people. Been there. PGI has no intention at this time to support FreeBSD because they do not have sufficient tech. support for FreeBSD. -- Steve finger kargl@troutmask.apl.washington.edu http://troutmask.apl.washington.edu/~clesceri/kargl.html To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
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