[ILUG] which version of linux ?

[Caolan McNamara]

On 30-Nov-99 David Ryan wrote:
>I have read all sorts of things about the huge differences between
>compiling applications using someting called glib6c and something else
>called libc (don't quote me on the names !) and have avoided the issue by
>just using the newest of anything I could get my hands on.
>
>Now I am faced with installing a new application on an old server and I
>haven't a clue how to work out what will happen if I try to compile.
>Upgrading the server is not an option, unfortunately.
>
>The server is Slackware something or other and the following line came from
>dmesg - "Linux version 2.0.30 (root at darkstar) (gcc version 2.7.2.3) #4 Fri
>Oct 3 14:07:03 CDT 1997"
>
>The application to install is webmin-0.74.  Webmin tells me that it
>supports the following versions of Slackware - 3.2 , 3.3 , 3.4 , 3.5 , 3.6
>, 4.0
>
>Anybody know how I can work out if it will work or not ?
>
>Is there some command I can run which will identify which version of
>Slackware is installed, or is it just the kernel version which is important
>?
>
>Also, is there any possibility of doing any damage if I do try the compile
>(it's not my machine).

If you are compiling applications from source there will never be a
problem. The problems will only arise when you either install a binary that
requires a libc version that you do not have, or if you attempt to upgrade
a libc5 machine with glibc2. Do the compile, there will be no problems (of
a libc related nature anyway, compiling and installing webmin will not
affect that system in the slightest.

C.

Real Life: Caolan McNamara           *  Doing: MSc in HCI
Work: Caolan.McNamara at ul.ie          *  Phone: +353-86-8790257
URL: http://www.csn.ul.ie/~caolan    *  Sig: an oblique strategy
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