Letters to the Editor

After typing in the source code for xhello.c (July 1997, page 71), I tried to compile it using the author's suggested command line. Unfortunately for me it didn't work. I received a very vexing error from /usr/lib/libforms.so complaining of undefined functions. After fighting it a bit more, I decided to look at forms.ps and found a difference between the command line suggested in the manual and the author's. To make a long story short, this command line worked on my system:

gcc -o xhello xhello.c -lforms
        -lX11 -lm

It has all the same elements as the author's, only in a different order. I am running a Slackware '96 system with kernel version 2.0.30, Xfree86 3.3 and xforms 0.86. I guess I'll go with what works.

—Nate Bargmann nfbargma@notes.up.com

First off, I would like to congratulate you on a job well done. It is a credit to the Linux community to have such a well-written and timely publication devoted to it.

I was wondering if any development has been done on integrating NDS (Novell Directory Services) into Linux? Novell has recently announced the release of the NDS source code to developers. Sun, HP and SCO have taken the hint and announced that each will provide NDS support in upcoming releases of their OSs. I have yet to find a place where Linux does not have the potential to replace a commercial operating system, and I think that support of a commonly used directory service would give a network manager even one more reason to use Linux instead of SCO ODT, Solaris, HP-UX or Netware.

—Tim McQueen mcquetm@mail.auburn.edu

Caldera is in the process of porting both NDS and NetWare File and Print services to Linux. Both these technologies currently require Streams, so Caldera is building the necessary infrastructure into Linux to port these technologies. For more information, please e-mail Caldera at info@caldera.com.

I have been unable to follow current chip discussions on the Net on the basis of these two new technologies: AMD's K6-233MHz with MMX processors and Intel Pentium II, 233&266MHz with MMX processors

Are these technologies compatible with Linux? Is MMX programming likely to be taken advantage of in Linux?

—Michael T. McGurty mmgurty@ovis.net

In answer to your first question, yes. Intel and AMD design backward compatability into all new processor chips to assure software compatability.

As to the second, Linux programming is likely to use advanced MMX technology sometime in the future, but I have no answer as to when—hopefully, this year. Of course, compatablity with the installed user base is a concern. It would have to be a kernel option. Multimedia extensions (MMX) optimize graphical video display (X Windows) and sound subsystems performance.