Re: compat_bsdos

[David Brownlee <abs%netbsd.org@localhost>]

On Wed, 19 Aug 2020 at 03:57, Dan Plassche <dplassche%gmail.com@localhost> wrote:
>
> On 2020-08-18 07:09, David Brownlee wrote:
>
> > Excellent news. I wonder if it would be worth taking a copy of the
> > compat_linux manpage and producing a stripped down compat_bsdos for
> > anyone else who comes along later :)
> >
>
> Sounds good, David!  I will volunteer to draft a compat_bsdos manpage
> and submit the source file to the docs list with this group copied.  I
> anticipate that I'll send the draft next week.
>
> I wonder if it might also be helpful to have a compat_nomid manpage that
> points to compat_bsdos and explains the other BSD o/n/q/zmagic binaries
> that work?  The options(4) manpage provides a hint, and there are also
> manpages for compat_sunos(8) and compat_ultrix(8), but other BSD systems
> are covered by this code as well and the connection/setup is probably no
> longer self-evident to users.
>
> The other systems covered by compat_nomid would include 386BSD and
> NetBSD 0.8 on i386 and amd64.  I believe it used to include 4.3 BSD
> binaries on the Vax, but I'm not sure about the status there anymore and
> would need to test in simh across NetBSD releases for Tahoe and Reno.
> 4.4 BSD encumbered binaries for the hp300 from Kirk's cds also
> definitely work on older NetBSD releases I'm running on mac68k machines,
> so I'll see about more recent releases.  Would anyone object to adding a
> compat_nomid (essentially a "compat_bsd" for 4.3-4.4 derived releases)
> manpage?  I will try to ask the docs group.

I think a compat_nomid(8) would make a lot of sense - there is a lot
of these less common cases where people have to Just Know what to do,
and a scattering or relevant manpages would definitely be a win :)

David