Binary executables problem solved (But...) (fwd)

[scotte at ccs.neu.edu (Scott Ehrlich)]

Scott Ehrlich, E-mail: wy1z at neu.edu, Web: http://lynx.neu.edu:8000/~sehrlich 
Boston ARC ftp archives: ftp oak.oakland.edu /pub/hamradio
Boston ARC Web page: http://www.acs.oakland.edu/barc.html
ARRL Web page: http://www.acs.oakland.edu/barc/arrl.html

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 8 JUN 1995 11:19:29 GMT 
From: Scott Ehrlich <scotte at ccs.neu.edu>
Newgroups: alt.uu.comp.os.linux.questions, comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Binary executables problem solved (But...) 


Thanks to the responses of so many people, I was sent pointers to try and
use the term-ified version of Netscape, included with the binutils package
on Sunsite. 

I proceeded to retrieve and install it.   I then ran X, started netscape, 
and it worked!

Now, my question for anyone and everyone -

term support aside, some change was made to the Netscape program to 
permit it to run on my 386DX (where, for those who don't know, any 
precompiled FTP binary I try to run, beside Slackware itself, will not run).

I want to know what change was made, and if it was to the source code, or 
some utility which converted it, permitting it to run.

The reason I want to weed out term support is because there must be some 
other factor(s) involved which make Netscape, etc (everything else 
included with binutils) able to run on my system, regardless of the fact 
it is a communications program.

xwp still won't run, along with some other non-communication-type programs.
If the change to the binary can be done from my end, I could then convert 
these other programs, and get them to run.

So, in summary, it was not the Slackware version nor the kernel version 
or recompilation which permitted Netscape (used as an example of a 
pre-compiled program which hadn't been able to execute before now) to run.
It was term support.   But something else also must have contributed to 
its ability to run, and I want to know what that something else is.

Again, thanks to all.

One more giant leap forward...


-- 
Scott Ehrlich, E-mail: wy1z at neu.edu, Web: http://lynx.neu.edu:8000/~sehrlich 
Boston ARC ftp archives: ftp oak.oakland.edu /pub/hamradio
Boston ARC Web page: http://www.acs.oakland.edu/barc.html
ARRL Web page: http://www.acs.oakland.edu/barc/arrl.html