Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 12:07:48 -0800 (PST)
Message-Id: <199802282007.MAA15196@adit.ap.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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To: ichapman AT nortel DOT ca, djgpp AT delorie DOT com
From: Nate Eldredge <eldredge AT ap DOT net>
Subject: Re: Using COFF files.
Precedence: bulk

At 11:13  2/27/1998 -0500, Ian Chapman wrote:
ginkel AT westbrabant DOT net
>Hi,
>	the last time I came into contact with coff was an older version of
>djgpp using gdb (gnu debug)  I had to convert a .exe to .cof or
>something.  When I went to dj201 I could not get gdb to load my file.  I
>posted onto this news group and was told to update to the newer gdb and
>the situation was resolved.  Best I've been able to tell cof is a type
>of exe file used on some unix syatems.  I wonder why you are into that
>since dj is intended for the PC?

COFF is Common Object File Format and is indeed used as the executable
format on some Unix systems. The reason it's used on DJGPP is because all
the GNU software (assembler, linker and so on) is of Unix origin. It was
found simpler to use an existing file format and write special code to load
it than to add a new file format (which would have required special loading
code anyway, since DJGPP uses no DOS extender).

The GDB problem comes from the fact that GDB, in keeping with the rest of
GNU software, only knew how to handle COFF files and was confused by the
stub at the front that lets it be run as an EXE. Newer versions of GDB and
other utilities are able to deal with it.

Nate Eldredge
eldredge AT ap DOT net