Subject: Re: RFC: migration to a fully dynamically linked system
To: der Mouse <mouse@Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
From: Robert Elz <kre@munnari.OZ.AU>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 12/26/2001 22:24:52
    Date:        Wed, 26 Dec 2001 08:21:55 -0500 (EST)
    From:        der Mouse <mouse@Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
    Message-ID:  <200112261321.IAA27885@Sparkle.Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>

  | You mean the kernel still has a hardwired list of paths?  Ages ago I
  | added code so that if the exec of init fails, or if an option
  | (RB_INITPATH) is provided by the MD boot code, it prompts for a
  | pathname for init.

Sounds reasonable, but if the option isn't given, I'd prefer the kernel
to try a list of paths before prompting - simply on the assumption that
I trust the people who built the kernel code to know, or be able to find,
where a backup copy of init will be put - I don't trust myself to necessarily
be able to remember it in a hurry when (if) the system has trashed the
normal init and a backup version is needed.

kre

ps: Of the options for making everything dynamic, I actually preferred #5.
It is easy, safe, and if I interpret the numbers Luke gave, would cost
about 3MB on /usr (compared to now) - which is trivial (and no, this doesn't
mean that we can ignore bloat - but for that trivial increase, for any
other purpose, no-one would even consider it).