[syslinux] Syslinux-5.00-pre9

[Ady]

Subject:        	Re: [syslinux] Syslinux-5.00-pre9

> Op 31-10-2012 20:11, Ady schreef:
> 
> >    ... "Split non-core functionality into ldlinux.c32"...
> > I wonder; will the INITIAL CWD definition still be the location of
> > ldlinux.sys (as example for SYSLINUX)? Is there a possible case where
> > ldlinux.sys will be located in one directory, and ldlinux.c32 in
> > another? Or they must always be located in the same directory?
> 
> is ldlinux.c32 searched for by ldlinux.sys/isolinux.bin in the same way 
> as the config file is searched for by ldlinux.c32 ?
> Meaning "/", "/boot" , cwd, etc.
> 

Hello Bernd,

You probably meant:
"...as the config file is searched for by ldlinux.SYS (in 4.06 and 
before)?"

Additionally, AFAIK and FWIW, the search (in 4.06) for the cfg file 
was not in the same order as you wrote it.

The new PATH directive is for the new dependencies for c32 modules. I 
haven't tested it yet (and hopefully it supports simultaneous MIXED 
relative paths and absolute paths too).

Now in 5.00(preN), ldlinux.c32 is initially installed together with 
ldlinux.sys. My question is whether it can be moved after the 
installation, and whether the INITIAL CWD depends on the location of 
ldlinux.sys (in SYSLINUX) or on the location of ldlinux.c32.


> > 7_ From 5.00 NEWS:
> >    ... "reducing both disk space and runtime memory consumption."
> > Interestingly, the installers are several times bigger than in 4.xx.
> 
> The UPX executable compressor program should help a bit, besides 
> syslinux.com/exe I'm not sure which files/modules can be compressed. In 
> theory if modules are ELF-format, UPX should be able to handle them. 
> Syslinux64.exe isn't compressible as UPX doesn't support compressing 
> 64bit (windows) binaries yet.
> 
> Bernd

In the UPX package ( upx.sf.net ), there are several notes (in almost 
each file included in the package) about potential issues with 
different types of executable files. I don't know whether those notes 
are relevant for any file in the Syslinux package.

Just for the sake of testing the potential compression (and without 
testing any resulting file), the c32 files in 5.00pre9 seem to be not 
supported. OTOH, the installers seem to be supported, with the 
resulting executable files being around 44% of the original file.

It would be interesting to know if there are any issues to be 
considered, so a user could potentially use UPX on the installers and 
still use them successfully. (Note: I don't have the knowledge to 
understand all those notes in the UPX package.)

Best Regards,
Ady.

PS (completely unrelated): Bernd, you should find copybs.com in 
5.00-pre9.