[OpenIndiana-discuss] [oi-dev] Studio future in OI (Re: )

[Udo Grabowski (IMK)]

On 13/10/2013 11:57, Laurent Blume wrote:
> On 11/10/2013 18:14, Udo Grabowski (IMK) wrote:
>> This should not happen, this would kill us completely, we have commercial
>> applications compiled with Sun Studio, and a lot of software that can't
>> even be compiled with gcc-fortran,
>
> I can't help thinking, what will happen to you when *Solaris* Studio stops
> working on *OpenIndiana*? Aren't you worried about that? I don't exactly see
> Oracle striving to maintain compatibility, and without source, it's bound to
> happen...

Openindiana must keep binary compatibility to Oracle Solaris, otherwise
it will quickly be obsolete, as vendors of commercial software won't
compile their software for OI, but only for Solaris 11, and FOSS packages
obtained from elsewhere in binary form would also break. This should never
happen.

If that ever happens, we would have to switch to Linux, where the Sun Studio
Compiler is also available (and binary compatible).

>>....
>
> The issue here is not monoculture, it's a choice of an ABI. As I pointed out:
> you can use Studio and have the standard GCC ABI. So do have a try at those
> compatibility options, and start assessing how you can make the switch. It
> has *already* happen in Solaris' past. So surely, what our cave-dwelling
> ancestors could do with their limited stone tools can be done more easily now
> that we have actual technology.

There's no way to urge vendors to compile for OI instead of Oracle
Solaris 11, that's just unrealistic wishful thinking .... All of
this ABI compatibility arguing is for software you compile yourself,
and it won't work for existing binaries.
-- 
Dr.Udo Grabowski    Inst.f.Meteorology a.Climate Research IMK-ASF-SAT
www.imk-asf.kit.edu/english/sat.php
KIT - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology            http://www.kit.edu
Postfach 3640,76021 Karlsruhe,Germany  T:(+49)721 608-26026 F:-926026