Subject: FreeBSD ELF emulation
To: None <current-users@netbsd.org>
From: Feico Dillema <dillema@acm.org>
List: current-users
Date: 12/09/1999 16:43:12
A friend of mine is considering ordering a commercial software package
that is available for linux and freebsd, but is also considering
switching OS from FreeBSD to NetBSD. So we tried a test version of this
package under NetBSD hoping it would run under either NetBSD's linux
or freebsd binary emulation. The linux binary fails as it depends on
the linux /proc filesystem. The freebsd binary is an ELF binary which
is AFAICS not supported in NetBSD at the moment.

My question is thus whether we can expect binary FreeBSD ELF emulation
to appear in the foreseable future. Are there some major issues
involved in adding such support, or is it a question of `it's a
dirty job, and somebody just gotta do it when he needs it'. (Of
course, we'll also try to convince the authors of this package
to provide native NetBSD support).

Feico.