shared libraries

[Zigurd R. Mednieks]

The NS16000 seems to be able to hack shared libraries, and with some
only slightly awful software hacks, seems capable of Multics-like
dynamic linking. Now THAT would be a really nice thing to have in Unix.
No more relinking huge database systems applications, no more dozen or
more copies of huge stdio libraries in core. And you could even supply
you own versions of libraries to be used by other programs -- your own
version of curses for instance.

I was a bit taken aback that the National Semi people at Usenix  hadn't
even heard of Multics and they didn't know what dynamic linking was.
It's amazing how the best ideas of the past become lost arts. No wonder
the VAX turned out the way it did.

Cheers,
Zig