[openbeos] Re: PE vs ELF file-format

  • From: "Matthijs Hollemans" <matthijs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 18:31:13 +0200

> Do anybody know which are the (dis)advantages of PE-files
> and the (dis)advantages of ELF-files?

This was extensively debated on the original BeDevTalk lists. I don't know
if the archives for that list are still available.

After R3 came out with a PE compiler (the same format that Windows uses),
many developers requested that Be switch to the ELF format and consequently,
the gcc compiler. They finally gave in ;-) I think there is an old Be
newsletter about this debate and the decision.

The PPC version of BeOS does not use the PE format, though, but PEF. This is
a proprietary format from Apple, or at least it used to be (they may have
opened it up since then, I don't know).

-Matthijs


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