Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!mattd
From: mattd@Apple.COM (Matt Deatherage)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Run Time Libraries
Message-ID: <38329@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 4 Feb 90 18:28:21 GMT
References: <9815.infoapple.net@pro-generic>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 39

In article <9815.infoapple.net@pro-generic> sysop@pro-generic.cts.com (Matthew Montano) writes:
>
> RTL's are an interesting concept. Anybody care to EXPLAIN it? I have a
>perfect use for it, but can only find minimal documentation. Those I have
>found are in the APWv1.02 manual refering to the that although RTL's exist,
>the standard APW/ORCA linker does not support the building of RTL's or the
>linking of a file requiring the use of an RTL. As I understand it, a program
>that requires an RTL when it gets linked, the RTL is checked, but the object
>code within the RTL is NOT linked into the main program, rather a pathname
>segment is created in the final load file. As I understand it, the jumptable
>segment (correct name?) will resolve the access to a routine in a RTL by
>loading the RTL at load time or when the routine is jumped to? Theoretically
>the RTL should be invisible. But what extra code would be required to make
>sure that the RTL is loaded correctly and from the right place upon execution.
>
This is all basically correct, as I understand it.  When the Loaders need to
get something from a Run-Time Library, they look for the file in the Libraries
prefix (2/, usually */System/Libs).  Not finding it is a fatal system error,
methinks.  To my knowledge, little or no "extra" code is required to load the
routines from the run-time library ("RTL" is an accurate but dumb abbreviation
which is just one more reason I can't stand those things...).

>Will the standard APW linker in v2.0 support the RTL concept?
>
The APW/ORCA linkers do not create run-time libraries.  LinkIIgs, which is
scheduled to be in APW 2.0 and is already at APDA in the APW 1.1 tools update
package, will create run-time libraries and programs that use them.  See the
LinkIIgs documentation for more details.

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Matt Deatherage, Apple Computer, Inc. | "The opinions represented here are
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