So I really really doubt you can pick a static executable compiled against kernel 0.x.y, using a.out format and execute it in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS as example.
Actually, I just need to take the dust out of my Walnut Creek CD's to prove my point.
Nice how you avoided the issue of running code targeted for 0.98.1 (latest kernel release in 1992) against kernel 4.4.z.
Not to mention how disparate the file system structure, including device drivers, of something like Yggdrasil Linux 1.0 is compared with modern distributions.
As I said, easily verified by dusting off Walnut Creek CD's and picking a random binary from them.
ELF was being slowly introduced in 1994, with Slackware 2.0 being one of the first distributions to support it.
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/1059
So I really really doubt you can pick a static executable compiled against kernel 0.x.y, using a.out format and execute it in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS as example.
Actually, I just need to take the dust out of my Walnut Creek CD's to prove my point.