<html lang="en"> <head> <title>Overview - Untitled</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html"> <meta name="description" content="Untitled"> <meta name="generator" content="makeinfo 4.7"> <link title="Top" rel="start" href="index.html#Top"> <link rel="prev" href="index.html#Top" title="Top"> <link rel="next" href="BFD-front-end.html#BFD-front-end" title="BFD front end"> <link href="http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/" rel="generator-home" title="Texinfo Homepage"> <!-- This file documents the BFD library. Copyright (C) 1991, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the Invariant Sections being ``GNU General Public License'' and ``Funding Free Software'', the Front-Cover texts being (a) (see below), and with the Back-Cover Texts being (b) (see below). A copy of the license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''. (a) The FSF's Front-Cover Text is: A GNU Manual (b) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: You have freedom to copy and modify this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.--> <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css"> <style type="text/css"><!-- pre.display { font-family:inherit } pre.format { font-family:inherit } pre.smalldisplay { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller } pre.smallformat { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller } pre.smallexample { font-size:smaller } pre.smalllisp { font-size:smaller } span.sc { font-variant:small-caps } span.roman { font-family: serif; font-weight: normal; } --></style> </head> <body> <div class="node"> <p> <a name="Overview"></a>Next: <a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="BFD-front-end.html#BFD-front-end">BFD front end</a>, Previous: <a rel="previous" accesskey="p" href="index.html#Top">Top</a>, Up: <a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="index.html#Top">Top</a> <hr><br> </div> <h2 class="chapter">1 Introduction</h2> <p><a name="index-BFD-1"></a><a name="index-what-is-it_003f-2"></a>BFD is a package which allows applications to use the same routines to operate on object files whatever the object file format. A new object file format can be supported simply by creating a new BFD back end and adding it to the library. <p>BFD is split into two parts: the front end, and the back ends (one for each object file format). <ul> <li>The front end of BFD provides the interface to the user. It manages memory and various canonical data structures. The front end also decides which back end to use and when to call back end routines. <li>The back ends provide BFD its view of the real world. Each back end provides a set of calls which the BFD front end can use to maintain its canonical form. The back ends also may keep around information for their own use, for greater efficiency. </ul> <ul class="menu"> <li><a accesskey="1" href="History.html#History">History</a>: History <li><a accesskey="2" href="How-It-Works.html#How-It-Works">How It Works</a>: How It Works <li><a accesskey="3" href="What-BFD-Version-2-Can-Do.html#What-BFD-Version-2-Can-Do">What BFD Version 2 Can Do</a>: What BFD Version 2 Can Do </ul> </body></html>