X-Authentication-Warning:	delorie.com: mail set sender to djgpp-bounces using -f
From:	Charles Sandmann <sandmann AT clio DOT rice DOT edu>
Newsgroups:	comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject:	Re: COFF
Date:	Mon, 20 Oct 2003 23:33:21 CDT
Organization:	Rice University, Houston, TX
Lines:	16
Message-ID:	<3f94b711.sandmann@clio.rice.edu>
References:	<3f94afac_2 AT corp DOT newsgroups DOT com>
NNTP-Posting-Host:	clio.rice.edu
X-Trace:	joe.rice.edu 1066711404 14268 128.42.105.3 (21 Oct 2003 04:43:24 GMT)
X-Complaints-To:	abuse AT rice DOT edu
NNTP-Posting-Date:	Tue, 21 Oct 2003 04:43:24 +0000 (UTC)
X-NewsEditor:	ED-1.5.9
To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway:	from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Reply-To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com

> > DJGPP does not support ELF, so the question is moot here.
> 
> DJ you designed the compiler, assembler and linker I assume.  Why did you
> chose COFF?

COFF was chosen for DJGPP V1.10 to replace the A.OUT format (which required a
sparse memory layout which wasted memory when running under DPMI).  This 
was around 1992 if I remember correctly, and COFF was was the best choice
at that point.  COFF was retained when V2.x started development (first 
for compatibility with all tools, and then hoping to be able to eventually
use some Win32 tools, since it uses COFF).

It hasn't changed since then, and is unlikely to because of the massive
amount of development effort which would be required.  No one has 
volunteered to do it.

- Raw text -