Subject: Re: Comparison of OS for PC's
To: None <current-users@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Mike Long <mike.long@analog.com>
List: current-users
Date: 09/01/1995 17:52:47
>From: Iain Hibbert <plunky@skate.demon.co.uk>
>Date: Fri, 1 Sep 1995 10:28:18 +0100 (BST)

>this binary compatibility thing..  something that I found a while ago
>was a paper by a french guy (I think) about something he called Semantic
>Dictionary Encoding - basically, it is code generation at load time,
>the compiler or whatever just creates a description of the algorithm
>and the loader generates the code on the fly as it loads..

The OSF has something like this.  They call it ANDF
(Architecture-Neutral Distribution format).  The intention is to be
able to distribute one binary for multiple systems/architectures,
without having to reveal proprietary source code.  It's similar to the
RTL that gcc uses to communicate between its front- and back ends.

IMHO, the equivalent of a compiler back end would be a bit much to
stick into the kernel. :-)
-- 
Mike Long <mike.long@analog.com>           http://www.shore.net/~mikel
VLSI Design Engineer         finger mikel@shore.net for PGP public key
Analog Devices, CPD Division          CCBF225E7D3F7ECB2C8F7ABB15D9BE7B
Norwood, MA 02062 USA                assert(*this!=opinionof(Analog));