FreeLists / openbeos / [openbeos] Re: RealPlayer going opensource

["Michael Phipps" <mphipps1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Finn Bastiansen <finn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> > Well, when we support the codec API from the player, there is no 
>> > reason 
>> > why we can't use those close sourced codecs.
>> Ok, if you say it, I believe it :-) I am not a programmer. Doesn't it 
>> have 
>> to be compiled for BeOS, or is it enough that the executable format 
>> (ELF) 
>> is the same?
>
>It would be helpful if they are using ELF, it would be much nicer if 
>they are using the same compiler, etc.
>Else it could get very hard to do it, but it wouldn't be impossible ;-)

To clarify this a little bit (or maybe muddy the waters):

An ELF file is a standard, with all that entails. It exports (i.e. contains and
will allow others to use) certain functions. It imports (i.e. uses and needs) 
certain functions. With some exceptions (more in a minute), an ELF x86 file
*CAN* run on any x86 operating system. So long as all of the imported 
functions are available. Think about it - what is a program (esp in today's 
world)
but a set of x86 operations and some function calls to the OS. If those exist, 
you
are golden. In fact, IIRC, back 4 or 5 years ago, someone successfully built 
some
very simple Linux apps and ran them unmodified on R4. 

There are some issues though. One is system calls. While I don't know for sure 
what mechanism
Linux uses, I am very sure that they aren't exactly the same as BeOS, and I 
won't promise
that they will be the same for R1, either. There is certainly a temptation to 
go that route. 
Esp if there were a native X implementation, like BeX used to be (any real old 
timers out there?).
How convenient would it be to be able to use every Linux app? Very. But there 
are certainly issues
to make that happen. I think that some enterprising hacker could do it, with 
effort, but it would not
be easy and I think that time would be better spent getting an R1 to work...