Re: [9fans] Glendix?

[John Stalker <stalker@maths.tcd.ie>]

> Isn't there also an "emulator" for Linux binaries on the
> same arch (nearly always x86 if we think in binaries).

Yes, and also SVR4, HPUX, BSDI, SCO, Solaris, Irix, Ultrix,
and Amiga Unix binaries.  They aren't, strictly speaking,
emulators, though.  The idea is that exec determines the
type of the binary and then when the process makes a syscall
the kernel sends it to the appropriate handler for that ABI.
There is a mechanism for making each ABI see a slightly
different view of the file system so the binaries see an
environment more like the one they are expecting.

See: http://www.netbsd.org/docs/compat.html

> Another thing is, if you could get NetBSD to look like plan9,
> maybe you would get this Glendix on all (or even some) of the
> hw architectures the "world's most portable operating system"
> supports!

Yes, it would allow you to run plan9 binaries on a toaster, if
you port kencc to the TS-7200 architecture.
-- 
John Stalker
School of Mathematics
Trinity College Dublin
tel +353 1 896 1983
fax +353 1 896 2282