Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!ucsd!ucbvax!MITRE-BEDFORD.ARPA!jhs
From: jhs@MITRE-BEDFORD.ARPA
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Relocatable Object Code Format
Message-ID: <8808260230.AA10807@mitre-bedford.ARPA>
Date: 26 Aug 88 02:30:49 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 19

Yes, I think it IS John Dunning who is hoping to "whomp up" a relocatable
format and linking loader.

In my opinion, it is PRECISELY BECAUSE the 6502 has very poor support for
relocatability that a relocatable object code format and a linking, relocating
loader ARE NEEDED.

With such facilities, code can be relocated to the absolute load addresses
during the linkage process, all under the automatic control of the linker.
Linking will require a little computation, and the relocatable format will be
a little more "bulky" than the final, absolute load modules that result.
However, once such machinery is in hand, it will become practical to build
REAL languages for the 8-bitters.  Heck, even a version of ACTION! with the
capability of building relocatable object libraries would be a terrific
advance!  For that matter, relocatable assembly language libraries would be
pretty neat too.

I'd be interested in reading a "product review" of ICD's format.

-John Sangster / jhs@mitre-bedford.arpa