Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site fortune.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!fortune!mats
From: mats@fortune.UUCP (Mats Wichmann)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: ld - the link editor
Message-ID: <5826@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Jan-86 13:24:54 EST
Article-I.D.: fortune.5826
Posted: Thu Jan  9 13:24:54 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Jan-86 05:39:35 EST
References: <106@graffiti.UUCP>
Reply-To: mats@fortune.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE)
Distribution: net
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA.
Lines: 17


If I am not mistaken, the linke editor referred to is the new (COFF) one,
which actually has many more features than the old ones used to (so this
is not "a holdover from the old days"). All of this stuff is of no
use to the average UNIX user, who just gets the default conditions
(stored in a file called default.ld). On the other hand, all of the
control is very useful if you are cross-compiling programs for target
machines, especially ones with strange memory requirements. It is
no longer necessary to have a special copy of "ld" compiled for
that machine that requires data to start on a 2meg boundary, when
the host machine defaults to a 256k boundary, to make up a fictitious
example. All you do is supply a different loader command file.
As I say, not much use to most people, but I'm not complaining!!!

    Mats Wichmann
    Fortune Systems
    {ihnp4,hplabs,dual}!fortune!mats