Tell me more ×
Unix & Linux Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for users of Linux, FreeBSD and other Un*x-like operating systems.. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 4 down vote favorite

How/why can a Firefox 64bit (or 32bit) package work on different Linux distributions since each Linux distribution has a different version for gcc, glibc, linux kernel, etc. ?

share|improve this question
I assume it is coded in a certain way as to detect which version of what you have and build itself accordingly. – MaxMackie Feb 14 '12 at 20:57
@MaxMackie Not really, the package is already built; it is a binary package. – J D Feb 14 '12 at 22:58

1 Answer

up vote 1 down vote accepted

The way it's coded the application is not using any calls that would limit it on any particular distribution. Having said that the statement you are making is completely false because unless libstdc++.so.6, libm.so.6, libc.so.6 are present on the system firefox will not work. So your question is predicated on gcc and glibc being at least at the particular minimum versions.

share|improve this answer
So basically, Firefox is compiled using pretty old applications so it will work on any Linux distro. This is because glibc, gcc, etc. are considerably backwards compatible. – J D Feb 14 '12 at 22:56
Not old just compatible. There are certain features of gcc which are not compatible from 3.x to 4.x – Karlson Feb 14 '12 at 23:33

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.