Linkers and Loaders

4 months ago

Linkers & Loaders by John R. Levine, published in 1999, remains relevant but shows its age.
The book covers the history and basics of linking and relocation, dating back to the 1940s.
It provides an overview of application binary interfaces (ABIs) and examines IBM S/360, Sun SPARC, and Intel 386 architectures.
Various object formats are presented, from simple DOS COM files to complex OMF files.
The operation of a linker is explained in detail, covering storage allocation, symbol management, libraries, and relocation.
Advanced topics include loading, shared libraries, dynamic linking, and C++ linker techniques.
The book is well-structured, logically progressing from basic to advanced linking techniques.
It avoids specific product references, focusing instead on the principles and history of linkers and loaders.
The book is valuable for veteran programmers, covering UNIX, Windows, and IBM S/360 platforms.
An updated edition would need to include AMD64 architecture and OS X object formats.

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