🚀 go-pugleaf

preece@urbana.mcd.mot.com (Scott E. Preece) writes:

> pgd@compuram.bbt.se (Per Lindqvist) writes:
>
> |   Where can one get the specifications for the 386 ABI?
>
> In the US, at least, at any good technical bookstore.  You would need
> two books:

Intel has had a long standing practice of working with software vendors to
maintain an ABI.  Most OS vendors prefer the existence of an ABI, as it
increases the chances that a vendor will port to that OS.  To my knowledge,
there are two Unix ABIs in use today: SysV (COFF) and SVR4 (ELF).  The SVR4
ABI specifies an optional backwards compatibility.

Some Unix vendors have not fully committed to the Intel ABI.  Let the buyer
beware.

I have heard rumors that Solaris will use ELF binaries but that the
debugging information will be STABS based.  (STABS is the COFF format.
SunOS for the Sun386i used COFF.)

I do not believe that NeXTstep conforms to the Intel ABI.  If anyone needs
this confirmed, please send me mail.

Some SysV vendors are not out there with SVR4 yet.

I do not know if Mt. Xinu and BSD conform to the ABI.

Last I heard, the FSF planned on using a.out, which does not conform to the
ABI.  Intel is negotiating this one.

-Israel
--
Disclaimer: The above are my personal opinions, and in no way represent
the opinions of Intel Corporation.  In no way should the above be taken
to be a statement of Intel.