README for GNU awk under BeOS Last updated MCB, Tue Feb 6 10:15:46 GMT 2001 BeOS port contact: Martin C Brown (mc@whoever.com) Building/Installing -------------------------- Since BeOS DR9, all the tools that you should need to build gawk are now included with BeOS. The process is basically identical to the Unix process of running configure and then make. Full instructions are given below: You can compile gawk under BeOS by extracting the standard sources, and running the configure script. You MUST specify the location prefix for the installation directory. Under BeOS DR9 and beyond the best directory to use is /boot/home/config, so the configure command would be: $ configure --prefix=/boot/home/config This will install the compiled application into /boot/home/config/bin, which is already specified in the standard PATH. Once the configuration process has been completed, you can run make and then make install: $ make .... $ make install Socket Notes ---------------------- Due to the socket implementation under BeOS not all of the features under gawk's socket implementation may work properly. In particular: BeOS does not support a BSD SO_LINGER option, so sockets cannot remain open after a close if data is still present on the incoming buffer. BeOS does not allow data to be read from a socket without removing the data from the buffer (peek). If you need to use this feature in gawk, create a separate input buffer and peek into your own copy, rather than the OS version. BeOS does not support RAW socket connections, only UDP or TCP. Note that these are BeOS Unix-layer compatibility problems, and only affect certain aspects of network communication. Most socket based gawk scripts, and any scripts that do not rely on sockets should work fine (excepting any other notes in this section). File Handle Notes --------------------------- Expect the multiple file test (when running make check) to fail. The reason for this is explained in the email shown below: ------------------------------------------------------- From mc@whoever.com Sun Jul 23 17:06:38 2000 Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 07:23:49 +0100 Subject: Re: gawk-3.0.5 results on BeOS From: Martin C Brown To: Aharon Robbins , Arnold/Bruno, > This is a known BeOS problem. I am cc'ing the BeOS port person. > Sorry I don't have a fix. This problem is directly related to the FOPEN_MAX/OPEN_MAX parameter used in the stdio library by the BeOS. It seems that the BeOS strictly enforces this number to the point that opening the 128th file causes all previously opened files (except stdin/out/err) to be closed - hence the bad number. I've tried this outside of gawk and the same thing happens, so it's not a gawk problem. I've spent the past few days trying to find a suitable workaround, but it's obviously difficult trying to patch a kernel from the outside :)) I'll be reporting this as a bug to Be shortly. MC -- Martin 'MC' Brown, mc@mcslp.com http://www.mcwords.com Writer, Author, Consultant 'Life is pain, anyone who says differently is selling something'