I have been using Slackware since it was first
started years ago.

But, I am running into more web pages that refuses to
display it's pages to my (Netscape 4.78) browser.
and says I will _have_ to upgrade to the latest
version of browser, Mozilla, Explorer, Netscape.. etc..
And that also means upgrading my 8.0 Slackware OS. AGAIN!!

Does this mean that Internet users will have to eventually
obtain new software or watch all their time and effort
put into software installations and configurations become
obsolete and unusable.

Are the Web Masters gaining control of which
software applications and operating system versions the
computers applications can function with ?

I have downloaded and tried to install the Mozilla browser
but it's installer refused to install... Unless I
got the version `GLIBC_2.2.4'

Error!
not found version `GLIBC_2.2.4'
(required by ./mozilla-installer-bin)


So where is the thing... Besides, I thought the change to ELF
from a.out's was supposed to eliminate library headaches.

So who's playing games here ?

I'm also starting to wonder if maybe
Mac's are the best way to go...

<-J-C->

"<-J-C->" <NO_jaa_cee_@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I have downloaded and tried to install the Mozilla browser
> but it's installer refused to install... Unless I
> got the version `GLIBC_2.2.4'

GLIBC 2.2.4 (actually: .5) is the version, supplied with Slackware
8.1 (the one in 8.0 was 2.2.3). So the mozilla installer will at least
need (the libraries from) SW 8.1, which means you will at least have
to upgrade the glibso package (with glibc-solibs-2.2.5-i386-2.tgz,
the naming of packages changd in 8.1).
When we were still running 8.0 we had done that and the rest still
worked ok, but there is too much software out there that will need
at least 2.2.4 of the libc library.
You can get glibc-solibs from any SW mirror in the directory:
slackware-8.1/patches/packages
(that is a later patched package - replaces the distribution one).

> So where is the thing... Besides, I thought the change to ELF
> from a.out's was supposed to eliminate library headaches.

No, it made it much worse.
You now got "pure ELF (libc.so.5)", which isn't supported since SW 8.0
(except through "pasture") anymore and all the varieties of glibc2:
GLIBC 2.0 (only as extra in SW 4.0, it used libc.so.5 itself)
GLIBC 2.1 (SW 7.x)
GLIBC 2.2 (SW 8.0) and now
GLIBC 2.3 (SW 9.x)
Newer versions of the libs will support (most) older glibc2 executables,
but not the other way 'round.
Glibc1 aka libc.so.5 is only supported when you have the pasture
packages for that installed.
--
************************************************** ******************
** Eef Hartman, Delft University of Technology, dept. EWI/TW **
** e-mail: E.J.M.Hartman@math.tudelft.nl, fax: +31-15-278 7295 **
** snail-mail: P.O. Box 5031, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands **
************************************************** ******************