StackOverflow2013

Note that there are some explanatory texts on larger screens.

plurals

PODo I have to build my program on the oldest Linux OS minor version I want to support?
text
Body
copied!<p>If I want my software to run on Red Hat Linux 6.0, do I have to build it on 6.0? Or can I build it on 6.3? (Similar question for 5.X) I'm asking a general question about runtime implications of shared libraries and similar "automatic" dependencies that get sucked in during the build process. And I'm interested only in the divergence between minor releases. I know that more things change between major releases. I'm interesting specifically in RH and RH-derived distributions. My program is written in C and C++. I think the biggest dependency I need to worry about is the GCC runtime libraries for C and C++. Is there a web page I can use to verify which GCC updates were used in which RH minor releases?</p> <p>To be clear: I understand the goal and commitment to compatibility between update releases going forward. Upgrading from 6.1 to 6.2 should not break my existing applications. In order to build on a newer update and run on an older update, I would need the reverse kind of compatibility. I need 6.1 to be compatible with things built on 6.2. In general this kind of compatibility is impossible to achieve on a wide-spread basis, across all config files, libraries etc. But I only need a narrow slice of reverse compatibility.</p> <p>I have an app that was designed, written and built successfully on 6.1. Now I want to build it on 6.2, but I want it to still run correctly on 6.1. Is there a general software release practice on Linux that you always have to build on the oldest update release that you want to support? Or do most people use trial-and-error to determine whether their app runs on older update releases? If you use trial-and-error, how much "error" shows up in the equation?</p>

Querying!

Guidance

An individual column

Larger individual text columns get their own page to allow for proper reading.

SQuiL has stopped working due to an internal error.

If you are curious you may find further information in the browser console, which is accessible through the devtools (F12).

Reload