I would like very much to get kernel support for MIPS ELF shared
libraries into NetBSD/pmax 1.2.  That would make it feasible
for users to upgrade to shared-libraries simply by installing
a suitable ld.so, shared libs, and binaries (e.g., from OpenBSD,
or from a future snapshot of NetBSD/pamx) into a 1.2 system
without having to update their kernels.


If I can get diffs today or tomorrow, and have time to verify that
they work with NetBSD static ELF binaries, I'm more than happy to
integrate the changes for 1.2. I beleive they'd be minimal; I already
folded most of Per Fogelstrom's mips-SYSVR4-ABI-PIC changes into the
mips elf support already.

Christos had already pointed out that the MI kernel now includes
ELF exec support, and asked if I could change the pmax port to use it.
I simply have not had time to do so in time for the 1.2 release.

Eliminating the pmax-specific ELF support is clearly a good thing to
do in the medium term.  Comparing the NetBSD MI elf support and the
OpenBSD ELF support is also probably a sensible move; Per's code it
peforms better on memory-poor machines (i.e,. demand pagein) than the
NetBSD/pmax ELF code used to.

If anyone wants to pursue merging mips ABI support into the
NetBSD mi ELF code  (perhaps Manuel?), perhaps with some additional
input from whoever maintains the Mi elf code (Christos?)
I'd be very, very glad.

--Jonathan