Linux emulation: sundown process apparently underway

[jggimi]

I noticed this commit to the OpenBSD ports tree. It appears that OpenBSD's compat_linux(8) ABI will eventually be removed, perhaps as early as OpenBSD 6.0-release, expected 1 November 2016.

For anyone unfamiliar with this, it is a compatibility layer in the kernel to permit applications compiled for 32-bit Intel Linux to run on OpenBSD, without recompilation. Along with the kernel compatibility layer, all Linux libraries needed by the application must also be provisioned.

The compat_linux() layer has always been i386-specific, and is currently tied to 8-year-old base Linux libraries (Fedora 10), with all of the unpatched CVEs that implies.

If you are using compat_linux() on OpenBSD/i386, you have time to consider your exit strategy. If this removal occurs with OpenBSD 6.0 as I expect, you will not need to make a transition until May 2017, when support ceases for OpenBSD 5.9 with the release of OpenBSD 6.1.

Your choices:

1. Choose replacements for your Linux binary applications.
2. Switch to an OS where your Linux binary applications can be supported.

[Oko]

Long overdue IMHO.

[ctps]

Originally Posted by Oko

Long overdue IMHO.

just read about this on Twitter and thought the same