On: Rust is actually portable

[fulafel]

Go users seem to value a single static executable quite highly, a single portable executable would be even better in the same direction.

[cyphar → fulafel]

It should be noted Go hasn't spit out static executables by default for at least 5 years now (if not longer), and if you want static executables from Go it requires several arcane incantations (not unlike getting a static binary from GCC).

Basically every Go executable is dynamically linked against libc these days unless the builder goes seriously out of their way to get a static binary.

[pekim → cyphar]

I'm not sure that's true.

    $ go version
    go version go1.18.3 linux/amd64
    
    $ cat static.go 
    package main
    
    import "fmt"
    
    func main() {
     fmt.Println("static")
    }
    
    $ go build static.go 
    
    $ file static
    static: ELF 64-bit LSB executable, x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), statically linked, Go BuildID=TSoFKMWZzy5G6qyFvxx5/dwEbvdQns9f-iffR-lbW/iTmqy3UF8tbT-GGwVH61/lUZUt7_XebTifpVvE_52, not stripped
    
    $ ldd static
     not a dynamic executable

But it might not be the case for all systems. And some things, like using CGO or performing DNS lookups, will necessitate dynamic linking.

[pjmlp → fulafel]

Mostly because many of them weren't around when building static executables was the only thing our compilers could spit out.

[zaphar → pjmlp]

As a Go user who values statically linked executables I can definitely say I was around when this was the only thing our compilers could spit out.

The reason I value it is because it makes deployment so much easier. I've re-lived DLL Hell so many times on so many systems by now that I'll happily take the memory/filesystem/pactching pain to have something I can deploy and know it will run on the system I deploy it to any day of the week.

[pjmlp → zaphar]

There is a big difference between valuing it, and acting as if it was a wonder that Go brought into the world never achieved before.

Which is how most in the community act like.

There is also a lesson on why dynamic linking is used, and why in its absence one needs to resort to IPC.

[trasz → fulafel]

The way go uses system API is completely unportable - and largely unsupported.

[FpUser → fulafel]

Not just Go users. Nearly all products be it desktop GUI applications that self-update or backend servers I've ever developed are like this. Saves me a lot on deployments.