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