[Discuss] MS Buys GitHub

Cy Schubert Cy.Schubert at cschubert.com
Fri Jun 8 14:45:48 PDT 2018 

Sort of. For example if there is a change that alters the interaction 
between applications and libc functions or syscalls, the ABI is 
different. A good example might be if the ordering of a struct has 
changed but not the contents. The API (source code interface) remains 
the same but the ABI (binary code interface) is different.

struct my_struct {
	int	a;
	float	b;
	char	c:
}

and 

struct my_struct {
	float	b;
	char	c;
	int	a;
}

The API is the same because my_struct contains the same members but the 
ABI is different because they are in a different order. Recompiling 
your source is unaffected however running old binaries with a new 
library with functions compiled using the updated my_struct will 
produce erroneous results or abort.

If maintainers of operating systems or maintainers of third party 
libraries aren't careful, introduction of what appear to be innocuous 
changes can in fact be very disruptive. This is one of the reasons why 
people experience problems after patches are applied to a system or 
application. What appears to be a non-change in the source code could 
in fact be a disruptive change.

This is one simple example. There are many others.

~cy

In message <5B1AE4D8.6050308 at gmail.com>, Craig Miller writes:
> Not really, Barker.
>
> An instruction set, is a set of codes that the processor interprets as 
> instructions (load registers, jump, etc).
>
> An Application Binary Interface is a set of opaque function calls (think 
> of library calls). It is opaque because usually the ABI binary is closed 
> source and only a compiled binary is supplied with the function calls 
> published. Essentially it is a black box.
>
> Craig....
>
> On 6/8/18 11:43 AM, Deryk Barker (Honorary Colleague) wrote:
> > I suspected as much. What the rest of us calls the Instruction Set?
> > -------
> > Deryk Barker, Faculty Emeritus
> > Computer Science Department
> > Camosun College, Victoria BC
> >
> > ________________________________________
> > From: Cy Schubert [Cy.Schubert at cschubert.com]
> > Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2018 8:27 PM
> > To: Deryk Barker (Honorary Colleague)
> > Cc: Cy Schubert; discuss at vlug.org
> > Subject: Re: [Discuss] MS Buys GitHub
> >
> > Application Binary Interface.
> >
> > ~cy
> >
> > In message <4E6AE5F528744E479C4F2AC326FFF840024809C49F at EX10MBX01.intra.c
> > amosun.
> > bc.ca>, "Deryk Barker (Honorary Colleague)" writes:
> >> What, pray, is an ABI?
> >>
> >> Sure not an Ankle-Brachial Index Test...
> >>
> >> -------
> >> Deryk Barker, Faculty Emeritus
> >> Computer Science Department
> >> Camosun College, Victoria BC
> >>
> >> ________________________________________
> >> From: Discuss [discuss-bounces at vlug.org] on behalf of Cy Schubert [Cy.Schu
> ber
> >> t at cschubert.com]
> >> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2018 6:34 PM
> >> To: Craig Miller
> >> Cc: discuss at vlug.org
> >> Subject: Re: [Discuss] MS Buys GitHub
> >>
> >> I didn't say who was going to win but the O/S as we see it will be
> >> replaced. (Though replaced may mean the same thing as no mainframes
> >> today. A few but irrelevant.) It started when Robert Watson wrote his
> >> PhD thesis and the PoC that gave birth to FreeBSD jails. Sun
> >> embellished the idea to create zones. Linux replied with LXC and
> >> containers. Multiple lightweight instances of an O/S stub, whether they
> >> be docker or some other technology, is the platform of the future. Red
> >> Hat has been pushing docker. Google has created kubernetes. Now Google
> >> is working on, not an O/S, but a stub that provides an ABI to
> >> applications. The API/ABI will most likely be some kind of Linuxy thing.
> >>
> >> With Google's weight behind it will Red Hat be able to remain relevant
> >> over the long haul? Maybe this? https://cloud.google.com/container-optim
> >> ized-os/
> >>
> >> It will be interesting.
> >>
> >> ~cy
> >>
> >> In message <CAM_o6DX_svUPrrcL0NCSM4avAT2RaxpyvHDRqUcC+3VDoCsG6Q at mail.gma
> >> il.com>
> >> , Craig Miller writes:
> >>> --000000000000535583056e155c2d
> >>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> >>> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
> >>>
> >>> Cy,
> >>>
> >>> I agree, but it may not be Docker who wins the container wars.
> >>>
> >>> Google is busy porting crosini to ChromeOS, where they will allow "linux
> >>> apps" to run under ChromeOS. They already have a container running Androi
> d
> >>> on ChromeOS.
> >>>
> >>> But, yeah, containers are going to revolutionize deployment of apps (clie
> nt
> >>> and server apps).
> >>>
> >>> Craig...
> >>>
> >>> --=20
> >>> IPv6 is the future!
> >>> http://ipv6-net.blogspot.ca/
> >>>
> >>> On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 10:53 PM, Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert at cschubert.com>
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> The O/S is irrelevant today. The winner has been docker under
> >>>> kubernetes. The best any other O/S can do is attempt to host Red Hat
> >>>> Linux containers or carve out a niche for itself. I suspect that over
> >>>> the next five, ten years for sure, the desktop will be no more and
> >>>> server operating systems will be a stub running as a VM, kind of like
> >>>> VM/CMS did.
> >>>>
> >>>> ~cy
> >>>>
> >>>> In message <525FB8C2-AEBD-4B2D-96DD-D73A5BE4BE81 at telus.net>, Peter
> >>>> Willis write
> >>>> s:
> >>>>> There is a feeling that MS is easing out of the operating system
> >>>> business.
> >>>>> http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/29/news/companies/microsoft-
> >>>> restructuring-window
> >>>>> s/index.html
> >>>>>
> >>>>> It=C3=A2=E2=82=AC=E2=84=A2s a pattern seen before with Novell and IBM.
> >> =
> >>> The return from
> >>>> services is
> >>>>>   much more lucrative.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> MS loses money on the OS side of the business. Especially now that most
> >>>> opera
> >>>>> ting systems are on handheld devices.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> P.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> On Jun 4, 2018, at 10:13 PM, Darren Duncan <darren at darrenduncan.net>
> >>>> wrote:
> >>>>>> I'm particularly interested in how Microsoft's crown jewel, .Net, and
> >>>> sever
> >>>>> al other projects, have become a well managed open-source project out i
> >> =
> >>> n
> >>>> the
> >>>>> public sphere, both high quality and cross-platform.
> >>>>>> I say crown jewel because Microsoft's main hold on people is based on
> >>>> peopl
> >>>>> e writing software that traditionally only ran on their own operating
> >>>> system,
> >>>>>   whereas the foundation for all the new software that runs on Windows 
> i
> >> =
> >>> s
> >>>> buil
> >>>>> t on .Net which is open source and also runs on other operating systems
> >> =
> >>> ,
> >>>> so t
> >>>>> he vendor lock-in is going away.
> >>>>>> See also https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/06/everyone-
> >>>> complaining-about
> >>>>> -microsoft-buying-github-needs-to-offer-a-better-solution/ .
> >>>>>> I have worked with .Net myself for the last several years, and it is
> >>>> very e
> >>>>> njoyable to use, so this foundation can compete on quality and features
> >>>> while
> >>>>>   also being open source and cross platform.
> >>>>>> -- Darren Duncan
> >>>>>
> >>>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>>> Discuss mailing list
> >>>>> Discuss at vlug.org
> >>>>> http://vlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_vlug.org
> >>>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> Cheers,
> >>>> Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert at cschubert.com>
> >>>> FreeBSD UNIX:  <cy at FreeBSD.org>   Web:  http://www.FreeBSD.org
> >>>>
> >>>>          The need of the many outweighs the greed of the few.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>> Discuss mailing list
> >>>> Discuss at vlug.org
> >>>> http://vlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_vlug.org
> >>>>
> >> --
> >> Cheers,
> >> Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert at cschubert.com>
> >> FreeBSD UNIX:  <cy at FreeBSD.org>   Web:  http://www.FreeBSD.org
> >>
> >>          The need of the many outweighs the greed of the few.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Discuss mailing list
> >> Discuss at vlug.org
> >> http://vlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_vlug.org
> >>
> >>
> > --
> > Cheers,
> > Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert at cschubert.com>
> > FreeBSD UNIX:  <cy at FreeBSD.org>   Web:  http://www.FreeBSD.org
> >
> >          The need of the many outweighs the greed of the few.
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Discuss mailing list
> > Discuss at vlug.org
> > http://vlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_vlug.org
>
> -- 
> IPv6 is the future!
> http://ipv6-net.blogspot.ca
>
> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss at vlug.org
> http://vlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_vlug.org
>

-- 
Cheers,
Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert at cschubert.com>
FreeBSD UNIX:  <cy at FreeBSD.org>   Web:  http://www.FreeBSD.org

	The need of the many outweighs the greed of the few.

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