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| <h2 class="chapter">5 BFD</h2> |
| |
| <p><a name="index-back-end-676"></a><a name="index-object-file-management-677"></a><a name="index-object-formats-available-678"></a><a name="index-objdump-_002di-679"></a>The linker accesses object and archive files using the BFD libraries. |
| These libraries allow the linker to use the same routines to operate on |
| object files whatever the object file format. A different object file |
| format can be supported simply by creating a new BFD back end and adding |
| it to the library. To conserve runtime memory, however, the linker and |
| associated tools are usually configured to support only a subset of the |
| object file formats available. You can use <code>objdump -i</code> |
| (see <a href="../binutils/objdump.html#objdump">objdump</a>) to |
| list all the formats available for your configuration. |
| |
| <p><a name="index-BFD-requirements-680"></a><a name="index-requirements-for-BFD-681"></a>As with most implementations, BFD is a compromise between |
| several conflicting requirements. The major factor influencing |
| BFD design was efficiency: any time used converting between |
| formats is time which would not have been spent had BFD not |
| been involved. This is partly offset by abstraction payback; since |
| BFD simplifies applications and back ends, more time and care |
| may be spent optimizing algorithms for a greater speed. |
| |
| <p>One minor artifact of the BFD solution which you should bear in |
| mind is the potential for information loss. There are two places where |
| useful information can be lost using the BFD mechanism: during |
| conversion and during output. See <a href="BFD-information-loss.html#BFD-information-loss">BFD information loss</a>. |
| |
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