The Linux Binary Compatibility Nightmare: Deconstructing and Rebuilding GLIBC
2025-04-01
This article delves into the deep-seated issue of binary compatibility on Linux, pinpointing the root cause as the monolithic design of GLIBC (GNU C Library). It critiques containerization solutions like Flatpak and AppImage for their shortcomings, proposing an alternative approach using static linking and older system libraries to improve portability. Ultimately, the authors advocate for a radical restructuring of GLIBC, breaking it into smaller, more focused libraries—libsyscall, libdl, libheap, libthread, and libc—to achieve Windows-like robust binary compatibility and finally solve this longstanding Linux problem.
Development
binary compatibility