ld: BFD
1
1 5 BFD
1 *****
1
1 The linker accesses object and archive files using the BFD libraries.
1 These libraries allow the linker to use the same routines to operate on
1 object files whatever the object file format. A different object file
1 format can be supported simply by creating a new BFD back end and adding
1 it to the library. To conserve runtime memory, however, the linker and
1 associated tools are usually configured to support only a subset of the
11 object file formats available. You can use 'objdump -i' (⇒objdump
(binutils.info)objdump.) to list all the formats available for your
1 configuration.
1
1 As with most implementations, BFD is a compromise between several
1 conflicting requirements. The major factor influencing BFD design was
1 efficiency: any time used converting between formats is time which would
1 not have been spent had BFD not been involved. This is partly offset by
1 abstraction payback; since BFD simplifies applications and back ends,
1 more time and care may be spent optimizing algorithms for a greater
1 speed.
1
1 One minor artifact of the BFD solution which you should bear in mind
1 is the potential for information loss. There are two places where
1 useful information can be lost using the BFD mechanism: during
1 conversion and during output. ⇒BFD information loss.
1
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