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List:       busybox
Subject:    Re: [BusyBox] busybox with gzexe
From:       Erik Andersen <andersen () lineo ! com>
Date:       2000-07-21 17:45:24
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On Fri Jul 21, 2000 at 09:39:07AM -0700, Allen Soard wrote:
> I tried to use a gzexe'd file with busybox which
> didn't work due to some missing options to some
> of the commands. Are there any objections to me
> adding the cmd line options to make it work?

What options are needed?  

BTW, in the past when I have looked at gzexe type things, it turns out that
every executable compressor I have seen under Linux always seems to uncompress
itself to /tmp, and then execs the new tempfile.  This is not good enough IMHO,
so I have always avoided such things.  The right way for such things to be done
is to use self-modifying code.  I've never seen anyone do that under Linux, but
it could (in theory) be done.  For example, with x86, the .bss section is
read/write/exec.  So all that needs to be done is to create a .bss section that
is big enough to hold the final executable, with a bit of code that
decompresses the executable into the .bss section and then jmps there.
Something like that would not be portable though.  It is probably more useful
to work on a good compressed filesystem that is read/write.

 -Erik

--
Erik B. Andersen   email:  andersen@lineo.com
--This message was written using 73% post-consumer electrons--



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