Re: Multi language programming

Dave Lloyd <dave@occl-cam.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>As for mangling, that I'm afraid is merely a sad reflection of the
>fact that we are still stuck with sixties' linkers designed solely
>for FORTRAN IV (C still has to get beyond independent external
>compilation units in a global namespace and C compilers rather than
>Fortran compilers now hold back progress). However it does provide
>some basic protection against fools fiddling with things beyond their
>ken. Once the linker errors come up you know you're playing with fire
>and tend to be suitably wary.


Some of those '60s linkers were quite good. I am not aware of any
linker that was designed solely for FORTRAN IV. FORTRAN IV and
assembly language maybe, but not solely FORTRAN IV.


In my college days, I used a linker written in the '60s that provided


          1) link-time type checking,


          2) address patching,


          3) repeat factors for constants,


          4) general link-time expression evaluators,


          5) multiple initialization of data,


          6) global variables whose size is the maximum of
the size specified in any object module, and


          7) a first def wins rule for resolving multiply-defined
symbols.


I wish the linkers I use now supported these features.


Sincerely,
Bob Corbett
--

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