From: idr AT cs DOT pdx DOT edu (Ian D Romanick)
Message-Id: <199604261934.MAA14918@deneb.cs.pdx.edu>
Subject: Re: ELF?
To: martynas DOT kunigelis AT vm DOT ktu DOT lt (Martynas Kunigelis)
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 12:34:50 -0700 (PDT)
Cc: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
In-Reply-To: <199604260655.CAA06279@mv.mv.com> from "Martynas Kunigelis" at Apr 26, 96 09:50:47 am
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> >If somaday djgpp will use ELF, will then it use shared libraries?
> 
>   Well, what's the use of shared libraries in a non-multitasking environment?

	1. Less used disk space.
	2. Updating the library updates ALL programs that use it.
	3. Dynamic binding "objects."

In number 3 I mean, you could make (for example) a general compression
library interface and just make a new library for each compression type
(LZ, Huffman, etc) and let the program (or the user) decide which one to
use based on which ones are available.  You could also do this with
image loaders.  Just make a new DLL for each format.  This was done on
the Amiga (and is the basis of OpenDOC) and is VERY powerful.  It allows
your program to be updated long after you quit updating it. :)

-- 
- See the Epsilon coder page at:           ____  ____
  http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~idr/             /     /   / /\    / "Good...bad...
- Ian Romanick sez:                      /---- /___/ /  \  /   I'm the guy
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