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A linker or link editor is a computer program that combines intermediate software build files such as object and library files into a single executable file such a program or library. A linker is often part of a toolchain that includes a compiler and/or assembler that generates intermediate files
The compiler may start the compiled code at an arbitrary location, often location 1 as shown. Location 13 contains the machine code for the jump instruction to statement ST in location 5. (C) If SUBR is later linked with other code it may be stored at a location other than 1. In this example the linker places it at location 120.
1. The real mode compiler generates an instruction like this: CALL <segment>:<offset>-> 9A <offlow><offhigh><seglow><seghigh> with <seglow><seghigh> normally being defined as an address that must be fixed up at load time depending on the address where the code has been placed. […] 2. The Geos linker turns this into something else: INT 8xh ...
In computing, a dynamic linker is the part of an operating system that loads and links the shared libraries needed by an executable when it is executed (at "run time"), by copying the content of libraries from persistent storage to RAM, filling jump tables and relocating pointers.
This differs from absolute code, [1] which must be loaded at a specific location to function correctly, [1] and load-time locatable (LTL) code, [1] in which a linker or program loader modifies a program before execution, so it can be run only from a particular memory location. [1]
In Unix, == the loader is the handler for the system call execve(). [1] The Unix loader's tasks include: validation (permissions, memory requirements etc.); memory-mapping the executable object from the disk into main memory; copying the command-line arguments into virtual memory; initializing registers (e.g., the stack pointer);
The linker needs a great deal of information on each program entity. For example, to correctly link a function it needs its name, the number of arguments and their types, and so on. The simple programming languages of the 1970s, like C, only distinguished subroutines by their name, ignoring other information including parameter and return types.
The design and/or choice of an object file format is a key part of overall system design. It affects the performance of the linker and thus programmer turnaround while a program is being developed. If the format is used for executables, the design also affects the time programs take to begin running, and thus the responsiveness for users.