Subject: Recipe: Using x86 netscape on Alpha
From: Dragos-Anton Manolescu <dragos.manolescu@acm.org>
Date: 16 Nov 1998 18:12:45 -0600
To: axp-list@redhat.com

The following message is a courtesy copy of an article
that has been posted to comp.os.linux.alpha as well.


Here's the recipe I have promised a long time ago.

Disclaimer: USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

1. Get one of the Alpha kernels from gatekeeper.dec.com and compile it
   with support for em86 (CONFIG_BINFMT_EM86=y). I have used both
   alpha-sources-2.0.35-0.[12].tar.gz.

2. Get em86 from gatekeeper.dec.com. Install the following--I am
   actually copying verbatim from a different window:

[root@brain em86]# rpm -ihv em86-0.4-1.alpha.rpm
em86                        ##################################################
[root@brain em86]# rpm -ihv --ignorearch em86-x86-0.2-1.i386.rpm
em86-x86                    ##################################################
[root@brain em86]# rpm -ihv em86-baselibs-0.2-1.alpha.rpm
em86-baselibs               ##################################################
[root@brain em86]# rpm -ihv em86-X11libs-0.2-1.alpha.rpm
em86-X11libs                ##################################################

3. Get netscape 4.5 from any netscape mirror. I have not been able to
   use a glibc version. Therefore, make sure you use a libc version. I
   got navigator-v45-export.x86-unknown-linux2.0.tar.gz.

4. Install this in a suitable location (/usr/local/netscape is fine).

5. Put the following script in /usr/local/bin

#!/bin/sh

export MOZILLA_HOME=/usr/local/netscape
export MOZILLA_NO_ASYNC_DNS=True
exec ${MOZILLA_HOME}/netscape -no-about-splash $* &

6. Start it up by calling this script. The kernel will automatically
   detect the x86 binary and run it through em86.

7. Go get a beer; it takes a while for the netscape window to open up.


This worked for me on RH5.1/2.0.35 (alpha-sources-2.0.35-0.1.tar.gz)
on an AS200 4/233.

Problems that I have noticed:

i. netscape starts spawning one process after another. I don't know
what happens, but disabling the asynchronous DNS solved it
(MOZILLA_NO_ASYNC_DNS).

ii. The netscape window doesn't draw properly. Use -no-about-splash.

iii. netscape complains about libBrokenLocale. You have a glibc
version. Get a binary for libc.


Email suggestions to dragos.manolescu@acm.org.

-Dragos

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