Object file formats, compilers and linkers

["JB" <jamesb at northnet dot com dot au>]

Hi GCC people,

 

I'm interested in how a compiler writes a relocatable object file, and how a linker messes with these to produce an executable file.

 

Is there some kind of easy to read (i.e. plain English) documentation on various object and executable file formats, for the novice? Supposing I wanted to write a linker, is there a textbook teaching how to write the bare bytes necessary to achieve some kind of executable file? Like for example, magic numbers if any, headers, and blah blah. Is there a resource on the net which describes any kind of relocatable object file and some executable format?

 

Thanks!

 

James Buchanan