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From: sandmann AT clio DOT rice DOT edu (Charles Sandmann)
Message-Id: <10112202215.AA16086@clio.rice.edu>
Subject: Re: RFC - Dynamic loading
To: djgpp-workers AT delorie DOT com
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001 16:15:05 -0600 (CST)
In-Reply-To: <000001c1897f$b30362c0$c27d76d5@pandora.be> from "Tim Van Holder" at Dec 20, 2001 06:56:41 PM
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> You'd also need to provide for C++ support; a standard DXE cannot
> survive an exception being thrown in it (because the stack unwinding
> info doesn't get registered at load time).

Is this stored in a static link section, or somehow registered with
a handler?  Reference an external variable?  If it calls a handler 
or external variable to register, then that symbol should
be resolved with the imports.  If it's part of a static section, it
would need to be added to the "stub" which loads the DXE.  I haven't
looked at C++ support at all yet.

> My local version of the now defunct DLX package added support for this,
> which worked fine for gcc 2.95.x, but needs reworking for gcc3.  I've
> just started looking into it again, and have gotten tentative approval
> from NanoSoft, Inc. (who wrote DLX) to fork off my own version of the
> library for further development.
> I'll certainly agree that as it stands, it's a bit heavy for libc use
> though.

One thought is that this does not become the basis for dlopen type
interfaces (load on user demand) - that one of the current packages 
provides that interface.  (The DXE2 package uses the dlopen interface
currently).