From: elf AT netcom DOT com (Marc Singer)
Message-Id: <199605181836.LAA03190@netcom9.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: ELF wanted
To: lehmann AT mathematik DOT th-darmstadt DOT de (Alexander Lehmann)
Date: Sat, 18 May 1996 11:27:57 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To: <4nb67f$1e3o@rs18.hrz.th-darmstadt.de> from "Alexander Lehmann" at May 14, 96 11:50:07 pm
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Sender: elf AT netcom DOT com

> I think ELF places more restrictions on code style than COFF (if
> COFF does at all). The code is usually position independent
> (probably only for libraries) but you have to keep one register
> unused that is used for making calls position independent. So
> converting from COFF to ELF is probably not possible.  (Well, that's
> what I gathered from some announcements with Linux moved to ELF,
> maybe I'm incorrect)

That is very true.  ELF requires PIC (Position Independent Code) which
is achieved by adding a runtime offset for all module relative
references.  This offset is stored in a register.  We would have to
have ELF versions of all shared libraries.