Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`size(1)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

On a default Solnix system, size is the illumos /usr/bin/size, which takes only -f, -F, -n, -o, -V and -x. The published Solnix page describes GNU binutils size from pkgs.solnix.binutils, which is the same program as on Linux and has a different option set (--format, -A/-B/-G, -d, -t).

The manual pages

Solnix: size(1) from pkgs.solnix.binutils
Linux: size(1) binutils-2.46
FreeBSD: size(1) 15.1-RELEASE
OpenBSD: size(1) 8.0

What Solnix runs

The page published as size(1) belongs to pkgs.solnix.binutils (GNU size). The command on PATH, /usr/bin/size, is the illumos one, with synopsis size [-f] [-F] [-n] [-o] [-V] [-x] filename... No other illumos variants are shipped. Options from the published page such as -A, -B, -G, --format, -d, -t and --radix are not in the illumos page. The bundle does not say where the GNU binary is installed.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
Linux	same program as the published Solnix page	The published Solnix page and the Linux page (binutils-2.46) are the same GNU size text, with identical synopsis and options. The difference is only which binary is first on PATH: on a default Solnix system it is the illumos one. Source: Solnix size(1) SYNOPSIS and OPTIONS; Linux size(1) SYNOPSIS and OPTIONS; header line on default PATH
Linux, FreeBSD	output format selection	The illumos size has no `-A`, `-B`, `-G` or `--format`. GNU size (Linux) selects sysv, berkeley or gnu output. FreeBSD llvm-size takes `-A`, `-B`, `-m` and `--format` with berkeley (default), sysv or darwin, but has no `-G`. Source: Solnix default size(1) SYNOPSIS; Linux size(1) -A, -B, -G, --format; FreeBSD size(1) --format, -A, -B, -m
Linux, FreeBSD	`-f` meaning	illumos size `-f` prints the size and name of each allocatable section plus their total. GNU size on Linux accepts `-f` but ignores it. The FreeBSD page does not document `-f`. Source: Solnix default size(1) -f; Linux size(1) -f; FreeBSD size(1) OPTIONS
Linux, FreeBSD	no `-d` or `--radix`	The illumos size has `-o` (octal) and `-x` (hex), but no `-d` and no `--radix=number`. Decimal is the default. Linux and FreeBSD accept `-d` and `--radix` with 8, 10 or 16. Source: Solnix default size(1) -o, -x; Linux size(1) -d, --radix; FreeBSD size(1) -d, --radix
Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD	no `-t` totals	The illumos size has no `-t`. Linux, FreeBSD and OpenBSD all have `-t` to print a total over all files listed. On illumos, you must add the numbers yourself. Source: Solnix default size(1) SYNOPSIS; Linux size(1) -t; FreeBSD size(1) --totals, -t; OpenBSD size(1) -t
Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD	illumos-only `-F` and `-n`, segment-based counting	illumos size reports ELF segments first and falls back to sections. `-F` lists loadable segments with permission flags, and `-n` lists non-loadable segments or non-allocatable sections. Linux, FreeBSD and OpenBSD have neither flag. Source: Solnix default size(1) DESCRIPTION, -F, -n; Linux size(1) OPTIONS; FreeBSD size(1) OPTIONS; OpenBSD size(1) SYNOPSIS
Linux, FreeBSD	version option	illumos size `-V` prints version information on standard error. GNU size accepts `-v`, `-V` and `--version`, and the FreeBSD page lists only `--version`. The GNU and FreeBSD pages do not say which stream is used. Source: Solnix default size(1) -V; Linux size(1) -v, -V, --version; FreeBSD size(1) --version
OpenBSD	OpenBSD options	OpenBSD size has only `-t` and `-w`. Output is always decimal, with the sum shown in decimal and hex, so there is no `-o` or `-x`. `-w` warns about non-object archive members, which the Solnix pages do not offer. Source: OpenBSD size(1) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION, -w; Solnix default size(1) OPTIONS
FreeBSD	FreeBSD is llvm-size	FreeBSD size is llvm-size. It adds `--arch` and `-l` for Mach-O input, reads standard input when given "-", and by default ignores ELF common symbols unless `--common` is given. The Solnix pages show no stdin or Mach-O options. Source: FreeBSD size(1) DESCRIPTION, --arch, -l, --common; Solnix default size(1) SYNOPSIS
Linux, FreeBSD	no @file and no default a.out	The illumos synopsis requires filename... and its page documents no @file response files. GNU size and llvm-size read options from @file and default to a.out when no file is given. Source: Solnix default size(1) SYNOPSIS; Linux size(1) @file, objfile; FreeBSD size(1) DESCRIPTION, @<FILE>
Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD	pre-linked objects	The illumos page warns that bss size is not known until link-edit time, so totals for pre-linked objects are not the true total. The Linux, FreeBSD and OpenBSD pages carry no such note. Source: Solnix default size(1) NOTES

Standards

POSIX: size is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
OpenBSD: HISTORY: a size command appeared in Version 3 AT&T UNIX.

Writing portable scripts

Use only the default output and the file arguments across systems. Even -o and -x are missing on OpenBSD, and -f means different things on illumos and GNU.
Do not rely on a fixed column layout or on -t. Only GNU and LLVM size document --format, and the illumos size has no totals option.

Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.