[svlug] Libc....Glibc??? Whats the diff?

[Dave Zarzycki]

On Fri, 13 Nov 1998, root wrote:

> Some questions about the topic:
> What is the role of libc/glibc?
> What is its function?

libc and glibc are also know as the standard C libraries. They provide
basic functions and wrappers to all programs. Now days, this code is
implemented as dynamic shared libriaries. In other words, you need them to
run just about any program.

> What is the difference between the two?
> What are some differences between libc5 and libc6? 6 is just newer?

glibc 1.0 was the original libc. The code forked to form libc2 through
libc5 which were not maintained by the glibc folks. libc5 grew into
something that was hard to maintain and update. glibc, AFAIK was rewritten
to do everything libc5 did and more. This became known as glibc2. It is
also known as libc6 since it is the succesor to libc5.

I read a web page with more details somewhere, but I cannot remember the
URL right now. If any of the facts are wrong, please, someone correct me.

> Why should I get a distribution that is based on glibc?

Why not? It's like asking whether or not to get a house with running water
and A/C? Sure, you could live without them, but why? Unless your a
minimalist, glibc is the way to go. :-)

> Or should I?  It glibc better than libc?

Yes.



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