Peter 'p2' De Schrijver wrote: > > > Being able to install multiple versions is some use to multiarch, but > > > could also be used for other things, such if two packages provide the > > > same binary (git for example). > > > Or to install multiple 'version 'numbers' of the same package. > > > > The big problem then is when to install multiple versions of a binary? > > How should the depends decide when that is needed or wanted and when > > not? Esspecialy when different versions are available per > > architecture. > > > > One way of doing this would be to make a binary a special directory > which contains the actual binary files for the architectures the > binaries exist. AIX 1.x did this and allowed transparent execution of > binaries in a heterogenous cluster. So if you would start a binary on > IA32 AIX machine which only existed in a mainframe AIX version, the > system would automatically start the binary on one of the mainframe AIX > nodes in the cluster. If an IA32 AIX binary was available, it would > locally start this binary. The 'binary directory' had the name, the > binary would normally have. The actual binary files get the architecture > name they implement as the filename. Eg: there would be an /bin/ls > directory containing 2 files : i386, ibm370. > > > How would programs or user specifiy what binary to call? How would > > You could explicitly start /bin/ls/i386 I think (which would fail if > you did it on the wrong machine).
The obvious problem here: The scheme is incompatible with non-multiarched software. It would at least require a package manager which specialcases ..../bin directory, a one-time conversion which moves the binaries, and some trickery for alternatives. Plus some more things which don't come to mind immediately, I guess. Thiemo -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
