Overview.html 4.9 KB

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  63. <a name="Overview"></a>
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  65. <p>
  66. Next: <a href="BFD-front-end.html#BFD-front-end" accesskey="n" rel="next">BFD front end</a>, Previous: <a href="index.html#Top" accesskey="p" rel="prev">Top</a>, Up: <a href="index.html#Top" accesskey="u" rel="up">Top</a> &nbsp; [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="BFD-Index.html#BFD-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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  69. <a name="Introduction"></a>
  70. <h2 class="chapter">1 Introduction</h2>
  71. <a name="index-BFD"></a>
  72. <a name="index-what-is-it_003f"></a>
  73. <p>BFD is a package which allows applications to use the
  74. same routines to operate on object files whatever the object file
  75. format. A new object file format can be supported simply by
  76. creating a new BFD back end and adding it to the library.
  77. </p>
  78. <p>BFD is split into two parts: the front end, and the back ends (one for
  79. each object file format).
  80. </p><ul>
  81. <li> The front end of BFD provides the interface to the user. It manages
  82. memory and various canonical data structures. The front end also
  83. decides which back end to use and when to call back end routines.
  84. </li><li> The back ends provide BFD its view of the real world. Each back
  85. end provides a set of calls which the BFD front end can use to maintain
  86. its canonical form. The back ends also may keep around information for
  87. their own use, for greater efficiency.
  88. </li></ul>
  89. <table class="menu" border="0" cellspacing="0">
  90. <tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="History.html#History" accesskey="1">History</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">History
  91. </td></tr>
  92. <tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="How-It-Works.html#How-It-Works" accesskey="2">How It Works</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">How It Works
  93. </td></tr>
  94. <tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="What-BFD-Version-2-Can-Do.html#What-BFD-Version-2-Can-Do" accesskey="3">What BFD Version 2 Can Do</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">What BFD Version 2 Can Do
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