[Info-vax] PHP on VMS x86-64 9.2-2

[Lawrence D'Oliveiro]

On Thu, 21 Mar 2024 19:35:44 -0400, Arne Vajhøj wrote:

> It does not by magic download a compatible library.

Consider, on Linux, the transition from libc.so.5 to libc.so.6.

Now, to VMS denizens, those may look like version numbers on the end. But 
they’re not--at least, not in the sense that VMS uses them, as some kind 
of temporary backup facility that gets wiped out by the next PURGE 
command.

Because there is no PURGE command on Linux. Those are actually different 
file names, installed by different packages. So programs linked against 
the old libc could coexist with those built against the new one.

Furthermore, that transition happened over a quarter century ago. 
Notwithstanding the enhancements to libc since then, it is likely there 
will never be, or need to be, a libc.so.7. This is because the symbols 
themselves now have version numbers, so programs linked against older 
versions can now share the same library file with those built more 
recently.