I appear to have asked an easy question.
I asked whether we could run the SunOS 4.1.2 C compiler
under Solaris 2.1. The answer is no: the format of
executables has been changed.
I also asked about public domain software, and EVERYONE pointed me to the
Gnu C compiler. Available on the Catalyst CD (which we don't get routinely,
but I sent for the relevant CD, which is volume 4). If anyone else wants
to get that, call 1-800-227-9227 and ask for extension 103. The nice
woman will ask you for your name and address and say she's shipping you
a copy. The Gnu C compiler is also available via anonymous FTP, according
to my email, from ftp.uu.net:/vendor/cygnus. I haven't tried this
myself. Apparently if I had a support contract on a language package,
it would include the new C compiler, but all we've paid for is Answerline
service, so we don't get it. A couple of people offered to send me
copies of gcc on tape if I'd send them a tape, but since I'm getting
the CD-ROM I don't expect to have to take them up on it.
In case anyone needs it, here is the address of the
Free Software Foundation:
The Free Software Foundation
675 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617 876-3296
gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu
Perry Hutchinson kindly answered the question I hadn't
known enough to ask, giving a list of sites that provide
archie service by mail:
>Archie service is available via email to any of
>archie@archie.rutgers.edu (New Jersey)
>archie@archie.unl.edu (Lincoln, NE)
>archie@archie.ans.net (Michigan)
>archie@archie.mcgill.ca (Canada)
>
>Response time varies greatly, but if I have gotten no response to an
>inquiry within a day or two I generally try sending it to a different
>server.
As for Solaris, most people advised me to wait, since in
the short term nobody but Sun developers needs to run it,
and there are headaches involved in the move.
I got one vote for moving to Solaris because it makes
sysadmin work easier once you're used to it, and one
very strong no, from Tim Hoogasian:
>Upgrade? Ha. (Yeeeccccchhhhhh!!!!! Ptthhhhbbbttttt!!!!!)
>We've got it in house, and as far as I'm concerned, I hope the BSDI
>folks win their suit with USL so the Unix community can still have
>a choice of BSD vs SysV. I test-installed Solaris 2.1 yesterday and
>wished I hadn't. Just about *nothing* is the same. (Speaking as a
>Sysadmin.) If BSDI wins and are able to come out with a competing
>OS that'll run on the late-model hardware, I predict that Sun will
>take it in the shorts from the BSD community. I know a lot of
>folks *inside* Sun hate the direction Sun's going in, but aren't
>in a position to change things (sigh).
I have a rather large file of all the mail I received on
this point, which I'll hang on to for a few days; if anyone
wants the whole thing, let me know and I'll send it to you.
It includes a fair amount of information on Cygnus as well as
Sun's rationale for unbundling the compiler in the first place.
Thanks to everyone who responded (listed in order of when I got the message):
Brian Bartholomew <bb@math.ufl.edu>
wai-kong@abcomp.be
@matis.ingr.com (Amir J Katz)
Perry_Hutchison.Portland@xerox.com
ca@informatik.uni-kiel.de (Claus Assmann)
James J Dempsey <jjd@spserv.bbn.com>
myk@artel.com (Mike Steadman)
Mike Raffety <miker@il.us.swissbank.com>
bit!jayl@Sun.COM (Jay Lessert)
Gustavo Vegas <gustavo@ece.concordia.CA>
jaf@inference.com (Jose A. Fernandez)
murphy!uunet!tellab5!nucsrl!ncbi.nlm.nih.gov!randy (Rand S. Huntzinger)
John Bossert,bossert@thalatta.com
Malcolm C. Strickland (chuck-strickland@orl.mmc.com)
uunet!nucsrl!ncar.ucar.edu!era (Ed Arnold)
Andy Feldt
Ken Bibb kbibb@qualcomm.com
Tom Davis davis@udecc.engr.udayton.edu
jim@pi-chan.ucsb.edu --- Jim Lick
murphy!uunet!tellab5!nucsrl!alc.com!hoogs (Tim Hoogasian)
Alan Medsker (amedsker@logicplus.com)
Hal Mirsky (hal@tots.logicon.com)
David Fetrow (fetrow@biostat.washington.edu)
John DiMarco (jdd@cdf.toronto.edu)
Kevin Sheehan (murphy!uunet!tellab5!nucsrl!fourx.Aus.Sun.COM!ups!kevin
neverdie.awadi.com.AU (Brett Lymn)
lsimon@pdn.paradyne.com (Lenny Simon)
pgt1!rick@princeton.edu (Rick Mott)
Glenn Satchell glenn%ups.uucp@fourx.Aus.Sun.COM
trdlnk!mike@uunet.uu.net (Michael Sullivan)
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Fri Sep 28 2001 - 23:07:23 CDT