system(3) in SunOS 4.0 vs. 3.2

[Bill Dunlap]

We have a 3/280 file server running SunOS 4.0 and some 3/50 clients are
running SunOS 3.2.  The following program, when compiled (with -Bstatic)
on the 4.0 machine bombs when run on the 3.2 machine complaining about a
bad argument to wait(2).  It works when compiled and run on the same
machine and when compiled on 3.2 and run on 4.0.

main()
{
        system("ls -ls") ;
}

I checked the man pages and note that wait(2) took an int (the pid) in 3.2
but takes a (union wait *) in 4.0 and that system(3) calls wait(2).

Is there a fix for this problem?  Should I not be expecting to be able to
run 4.0 binaries on a 3.2 system?  The owner of the 3/50 (SunOS 3.2) is in
no hurry to downgrade his machine to 4.0.

	Bill Dunlap
	bill at elk.stat.washington.edu

[[ In general, I would not recommend trying to run 4.0 binaries under 3.2.
--wnl ]]