> From: mycroft@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Charles M. Hannum)
> Date: 11 Dec 1996 14:16:59 -0500

> "Gordon W. Ross" <gwr@mc.com> writes:
> 
> > 
> > > When (yp + rpc + db) are used by so many things, and are so huge, it's
> > > not clear that worrying about the size of libedit is worthwhile.
> > 
> > Actually, that is exactly the reason I have been lobying for an
> > implementation of the nsswitch code that removes all the direct
> > references to the YP stuff, etc. from libc (and using rtld to load
> > those when needed).
> 
> Huh?
> 
> On a system with shared libraries, if you're not using YP, you don't
> page in those pages from libc.
Yes, of course...

> On a system without shared libraries, nsswitch isn't going to help,
> because you'll have to link everything statically anyway.

Huh?  (As you say 8^)

> So, where is the gain?

Using rtld to load lookup code saves lots of space where the system
supports shared libraries, but where we link programs statically
(i.e. /bin/* /sbin/*) because that avoids dragging in every lookup
method that nsswitch supports.

I suppose a special -DSMALL libc would do the job for install media,
but it would not help slim down /bin and /sbin any...

Gordon