Date:	Sat, 30 Nov 1996 20:45:04 -0500 (EST)
From:	Hasdi R Hashim <hasdi AT umich DOT edu>
To:	Malcolm Taylor <malcolm AT manawatu DOT gen DOT nz>
cc:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject:	Re: Wanted DLL File format
In-Reply-To:	<199611302351.MAA26788@papaioea.manawatu.gen.nz>
Message-ID:	<Pine.SOL.3.95.961130201732.23659A-100000@seawolf.rs.itd.umich.edu>
MIME-Version:	1.0

X-no-archive: yes

On Sun, 1 Dec 1996, Malcolm Taylor wrote:
> > On Wed, 27 Nov 1996 07:02:14 GMT, I wrote:
> > For starters, LE file format (Win3.1 and OS/2 .EXE file format) is very
> > much the same with LX file format (.DLL) except that it has the LX
> > signature and has initialization and termination code inside. You can get
> > LE file format from http://www.wotsit.demon.co.uk/
> 
> Isn't the Win3.x executable format the NE format (ie New Executable)? 
> If you are talking of modern formats (ie Win32 formats) then both the 
> DLL and EXE formats are PE/COFF, not LE/LX or NE.

You got a point there. In microsoft homepages, the one about PE file
format (http://www.microsoft.com/win32dev/base/pefile.htm), it mentions
that

>>>>>>
   WINNT.H

#define IMAGE_DOS_SIGNATURE             0x5A4D      // MZ
#define IMAGE_OS2_SIGNATURE             0x454E      // NE
#define IMAGE_OS2_SIGNATURE_LE          0x454C      // LE
#define IMAGE_NT_SIGNATURE              0x00004550  // PE00

   At first it seems curious that Windows executable file types do not
   appear on this list. But then, after a little investigation, the
   reason becomes clear: There really is no difference between Windows
   executables and OS/2 executables other than the operating system
   version specification. Both operating systems share the same
   executable file structure.
>>>>>

No I don't think microsoft minds for this little snippet. Hopefully, the
no-archive X-tag works.

I skimmed through the book but so far no mention of NE. Anyways in the
Wotsit file format collection, there's one:
	http://www.wotsit.demon.co.uk/formats/exe/neexe.txt

Interestingly enough:

>>>>
0000h  2 char   ID='NE'
	...
000Dh  1 byte   Application flags, bitmapped
      	...
	7 - DLL or driver (SS:SP info invalid, CS:IP points at FAR init 
	    routine called with 
	... 
>>>>

For djgpp purposes, I think it is best they go for PE file format for .DLL
and file executables. Personally I prefer ELF than COFF but since
microsoft "opened" themselves to an object file used by extensively by the
GNU community (at least used to), we might as well take advantage of it.

Regards

Hasdi

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