Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:23:12 -0800 (PST)
Message-Id: <20080305.132312.55544366.davem@davemloft.net>
To: aurelien@aurel32.net
Cc: hpa@zytor.com, matz@suse.de, Joe.Buck@synopsys.COM,
       linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, gcc@gcc.gnu.org
Subject: Re: Linux doesn't follow x86/x86-64 ABI wrt direction flag
From: David Miller <davem@davemloft.net>
In-Reply-To: <47CF07FE.10200@aurel32.net>
References: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0803052133400.20583@wotan.suse.de>
	<47CF0627.2070200@zytor.com>
	<47CF07FE.10200@aurel32.net>
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From: Aurelien Jarno <aurelien@aurel32.net>
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:52:14 +0100

> H. Peter Anvin a ?crit :
> > The best would be if this could be controlled by a flag, which we can
> > flip once kernel fixes has been around for long enough.
> 
> I have to agree there. Whatever the decision that gcc will take,
> distributions will reenable the old behaviour for some time for to allow
> upgrades from a previous version.

I don't think this approach is tenable.

If a distribution should ship with a "fixed" kernel and
compiler enabling the new direction flag behavior, any
binary you create on that system will be broken on any
other existing system.

I think we really are stuck with this forever, overwhelming
practice over the past 15 years has dictated to us what the
real ABI is.
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