I downloaded and untarred Skype.  Can't run it here (Ubuntu 8.04,
2.6.26.5 64-bit) but I can in a VM (Ubuntu 8.10, 2.6.24.7 64-bit).
Here I get:

eben@pc:/misc/torrent/skype-2.0.0.72$ ./skype
bash: ./skype: cannot execute binary file

eben@pc:/misc/torrent/skype-2.0.0.72$ file ./skype
../skype: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), for
GNU/Linux 2.4.1, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped

eben@pc:/misc/torrent/skype-2.0.0.72$ ldd ./skype
        not a dynamic executable

("Not dynamic"?  Didn't "file" just say it was?

eben@pc:/misc/torrent/skype-2.0.0.72$ ls -l skype
14M -rwxr-xr-x 1 eben eben 14M 2008-05-28 06:16 skype*

libc6-i386 was installed in both places.  (Still is, in the VM.)

I don't think the distro matters much, since I have different
custom-compiled kernels in each location.  Any idea why this
won't work? How do I check if I can execute 32-bit programs?

-- 
-eben   QebWenE01R@vTerYizUonI.nOetP   http://royalty.mine.nu:81
              "God does not play dice" -- Einstein
       "Not only does God play dice, he sometimes throws
       them where they can't be seen." -- Stephen Hawking

In article <k85b06-oro.ln1@pc.home>, Hactar <ebenZEROONE@verizon.net> wrote:
> I downloaded and untarred Skype.  Can't run it here (Ubuntu 8.04,
> 2.6.26.5 64-bit) but I can in a VM (Ubuntu 8.10, 2.6.24.7 64-bit).
> Here I get:
> 
> eben@pc:/misc/torrent/skype-2.0.0.72$ ./skype
> bash: ./skype: cannot execute binary file
> 
> eben@pc:/misc/torrent/skype-2.0.0.72$ file ./skype
> ./skype: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), for
> GNU/Linux 2.4.1, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped
> 
> eben@pc:/misc/torrent/skype-2.0.0.72$ ldd ./skype
>         not a dynamic executable
> 
> ("Not dynamic"?  Didn't "file" just say it was?
> 
> eben@pc:/misc/torrent/skype-2.0.0.72$ ls -l skype
> 14M -rwxr-xr-x 1 eben eben 14M 2008-05-28 06:16 skype*
> 
> libc6-i386 was installed in both places.  (Still is, in the VM.)
> 
> I don't think the distro matters much, since I have different
> custom-compiled kernels in each location.  Any idea why this
> won't work? How do I check if I can execute 32-bit programs?

Same song, second verse.  I read
http://liquidat.wordpress.com/2008/11/27/moving-on-64bit-linux-pulseaudio-fedora-10-and-so-on/
which says in part: "Another issue is Skype - this is not provided as a
64bit version at all.... For Ubuntu users there is at least a
32bit version modified for easy installation on 64bit systems."  That
includes a link to http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-linux-ubuntu-amd64,
so I decided to try that.  I also had to install:

ia32-libs (2.2ubuntu11)
lib32asound2 (1.0.15-3ubuntu4)
lib32gcc1 (1:4.2.4-1ubuntu3)
lib32ncurses5 (5.6+20071124-1ubuntu2)
lib32stdc++6 (4.2.4-1ubuntu3)
lib32z1 (1:1.2.3.3.dfsg-7ubuntu1)
libc6-i386 (2.7-10ubuntu4)

Same error:

eben@pc:~$ skype
bash: /usr/bin/skype: cannot execute binary file

eben@pc:~$ file /usr/bin/skype
/usr/bin/skype: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1
(SYSV), for GNU/Linux 2.4.1, dynamically linked (uses shared libs),
stripped

Bah.
....
Crud.

Executable file formats / Emulations  --->
[*] IA32 Emulation
  
was off.  Lemme reboot under a kernel with it on.  That should help
things.  I have no idea how it got turned off.  Maybe in a fit of
madness...
-- 
-eben      QebWenE01R@vTerYizUonI.nOetP      royalty.mine.nu:81
VIRGO:  All Virgos are extremely friendly and intelligent - except
for you.  Expect a big surprise today when you wind up with your 
head impaled upon a stick. -- Weird Al, _Your Horoscope for Today_