From:	root AT jacob DOT remcomp DOT fr (root)
Subject:	Re: Mr Taylor answer re bug in the linker
17 Jul 1997 00:52:07 -0700 :
Approved:	cygnus DOT gnu-win32 AT cygnus DOT com
Distribution:	cygnus
Message-ID:	<m0wojJs-000AK2C.cygnus.gnu-win32@jacob.remcomp.fr>
Original-To:	ian AT cygnus DOT com
Original-Cc:	gnu-win32 AT cygnus DOT com
In-Reply-To:	<199707162137.RAA07735@tweedledumb.cygnus.com> from "ian@cygnus.com" at Jul 16, 97 05:37:17 pm
Original-Sender:	owner-gnu-win32 AT cygnus DOT com

Trying to help gnu users, I wrote:
> 
> >You can see that between the idata and the next section, the stab section,
> >there is a gap of 16K, but the idata section makes only for 3584 bytes,
> >i.e. only one page (4096) bytes.
> 

Then, Mr Taylor answers in his well known terse style:

> Sure, you just need to put 
> 
> .rsrc : { *(.rsrc) }
> 
> in the appropriate place in the linker script.  You can see the
> default linker script by running ld --verbose.  To fix it without
> using a new linker script, edit ld/scripttempl/pe.sc, and rebuild the
> linker.
> 
> Ian

It seems (to me) that here we have the confirmation of a certain attitude
towards users of free software and maybe users un general. I think that if
somebody uses free software, he/she is not an idiot, or a stupid, and that
he/she has some rights as a user: he shouldn't be thrown knowingly into a
trap that he/she can NEVER be able to see.

The average GNU user can't be expected to know that the linker is distributed
with a FAULTY 'linker script', i.e. that the compiler of GNU defaults to a
bad executable. The existence of 'linker scripts' is a very obscure subject
that is known only to a few 'ld' specialists.

I propose then, to modify the installation instructions of GNU to cope with
this.

Dear Gnu user:

This software is distributed with a bugged linker. You should first recompile
the linker before proceeding. Go to the file ld/scripttempl/pe.sc and put
(in the 'appropiate' place) the magical words:
 .rsrc : { *(.rsrc) }
We will not explain to you what the appropiate place is (that would be too easy)
neither we will tell you how to recompile the linker with a faulty linker...
that would be too complicated.

Have fun with our software

Cygnus support.


-- 
Jacob Navia	Logiciels/Informatique
41 rue Maurice Ravel			Tel 01 48.23.51.44
93430 Villetaneuse 			Fax 01 48.23.95.39
France
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