Re: now online: list of specification proposals
On Wed, 2 Jun 1999, Daniel Quinlan wrote:
> Not directly related, but I should get it off my chest. The LSB draft
> specification (Stuart's main one, not the specification proposals)
> says:
>
> | Chapter 4. Object Files
> |
> | Executable files shall use the ELF format as defined in chapter 4 of
> | the gABI & psABI.
>
> But, I have heard from several people that the documented ELF format
> is one of bad, evil, or just plain wrong and that we (Linux and glibc)
> have diverged somewhat. The LSB specification needs to be fixed.
This is the first I have heard anyone say that it is wrong. The referenced
spec is written by the people that "invented" ELF, so I had assumed that it
was a good reference for ELF. The fact that Linux has choosed to diverge
doesn't really suprise me that much 8-(. If someone could be more specific
about how the Linux implementation differs, I'd appreciate it, and we
could get it documented.
I am not happy with the way chapters 3, 4 and 5 are looking. The referenced
documents seem to be difficult to find, and I can't just copy the material
from them due to Intellectual Property concerns. The stuff that is covered in
these chapters is very fundamental so we can't just skip it. Trying to extract
the information from gcc/binutil/bfd/etc hasn't been very fruitful. The info
is in there, but it is expressed in ways that make it hard to extract. It will
take several 10s of pages to properly cover what needs to be said.
I'm searching for ideas on this, os if anyone has any, please share them.
Stuart
Stuart R. Anderson anderson@metrolink.com
Metro Link Incorporated South Carolina Office
4711 North Powerline Road 129 Secret Cove Drive
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309 Lexington, SC 29072
voice: 954.938.0283 voice: 803.951.3630
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http://www.metrolink.com/
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