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<TITLE>The Answer Guy 48: UNIX Emulation Under Linux? iBCS</TITLE>
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<H4>By James T. Dennis,
<a href="mailto:linux-questions-only@ssc.com">linux-questions-only@ssc.com</a><BR>
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<H3 align="left"><img src="../../gx/dennis/qbubble.gif"
height="50" width="60" alt="(?) " border="0"
>UNIX Emulation Under Linux? iBCS</H3>
<p><strong>From antonio on Fri, 15 Oct 1999
</strong></p>
<!-- ::
UNIX Emulation Under Linux? iBCS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
:: -->
<P><STRONG>
Hi James,
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
i read an answer of your's in Linux Gazzette regarding Unix emulators.
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
I seem to understand that Lucent's Inferno is a Unix emulator for
Linux??
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
I have a problem. There is a program for Pharmacy's here in Italy (very
widely used) which has the function of registering medical codes etc.
but which runs only under Unix. But Unix OS's are not free so Pharmacies
are forced to buy Unix OS (Open Server) only for the sake of letting the
computer run for that specific prog i mentioned above. Linux instead is
free so pharmacies would not have to afford the price of the OS. Though
the company that wrote the prog is not willing to port it under linux
... for obvious reasons of economical interest as they handle the
licence of the OS and thus have a share on that too. With linux they
would have to give up the that share.
Can you help me??
</STRONG></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" ALT="(!)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
First Lucent's Inferno operating system is not a form of
UNIX. It can run as a "standalone" (traditional) operating
system, and it can apparently run as a "rehosted" OS
(that is an operating system which runs under another
system's kernel, and accesses the system hardware through
the host OS' system calls). So, Inferno can run under
Linux.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Now onto your core question. When you say that this
proprietary software runs "only under Unix" what do you
really mean? UNIX is not a single product or operating
system. UNIX is a family of operating systems and related
utilities, and a philosophy or paradigm for system design.
In that sense Linux <EM>is</EM> UNIX.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
It is meaningless to say that UNIX is not a free OS.
<A HREF="http://www.freebsd.org/">FreeBSD</A>, 386BSD, <A HREF="http://www.openbsd.org/">OpenBSD</A>, <A HREF="http://www.netbsd.org/">NetBSD</A>, all have as much
historical claim to "being UNIX" as any AT&T SVR4 system.
Those are all free operating systems. Linux was
independently developed. So it can't claim to <EM>be</EM> UNIX
on historical or "familial" grounds.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
What I think you were saying is that this proprietary
pharmaceutical management product is written to run under
one of SCO's UNIX products (Open Server, or Open Desktop).
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
If that is the case than you might be able to run the
package under iBCS.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
iBCS is the "Intel Binary Compatibility Specification" ---
an old (pre-Linux) standard binary format for executables
on x86 forms of SVR4 UNIX. At one time there were over
20 different commercial competitors to SCO on x86 hardware.
There was a lackluster effort among these vendors to share
a common executable file format and suite of libraries
so that "shrinkwrapped shelfware" could be developed for
"any" version of UNIX on the x86.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
SCO OSVR and ODT programs are iBCS by default (if I
understand it correctly).
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Linux does support iBCS through a set of optional
libraries. (Ironically SCO and Solaris now support Linux
binaries through their lxrun packages. FreeBSD has been
able to run Linux binaries for years).
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
So, it might be technical possible for you to run this
proprietary application. Then again the app. might be
linked against some SCO proprietary libraries ---
which you might not be licensed to copy to your Linux
systems.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Aside from the technical issues you must consider the
legalities. It might be a violation of your license to
run this software under a different OS. Of course it
might also be an illegal and unenforcable contract
in your jurisdiction. If this company requires that
you buy a given product with theirs (bundling), you
might have legal recourse.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
I don't know. I'm not a lawyer.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
So, I'll just get back to the technical issue. You can
probably get this to run under Linux by using iBCS.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
The iBCS libraries ship with most Linux distributions.
You can also find them on line with a simple Yahoo! or
Google search.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<!-- sig -->
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<P> <hr> <P>
<H5 align="center"><a href="http://www.linuxgazette.com/copying.html"
>Copyright ©</a> 1999, James T. Dennis
<BR>Published in <I>The Linux Gazette</I> Issue 48 December 1999</H5>
<H6 ALIGN="center">HTML transformation by
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