Subject: Re: Switching to ELF
To: Thilo Manske <Thilo.Manske@HEH.Uni-Oldenburg.DE>
From: Todd Vierling <tv@pobox.com>
List: port-i386
Date: 06/22/1999 20:48:25
On Wed, 23 Jun 1999, Thilo Manske wrote:

: > I know this is a rank beginner's question, but what is ELF and why is it
: > better?  Is there a spec somewhere?

: This (why is it better) has been asked quite a few times in NetBSD lists,
: but I never saw an answer. I'm tempted to write something completly wrong,
: so that someone is forced to correct me ;-)

In short:

It's much more flexible and modular than a.out, and offers better
distinction between things like, as a straw example, readonly data and text.

It also is much better supported by various third party toolchains, none of
which we really want to invest the time and manpower maintaining on our own.

-- 
-- Todd Vierling (tv@pobox.com)