From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.1 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, DKIM_VALID_AU,MAILING_LIST_MULTI autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 22813 invoked from network); 23 Feb 2023 21:38:23 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (50.116.15.146) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 23 Feb 2023 21:38:23 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [IPv6:::1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A081943128; Fri, 24 Feb 2023 07:38:17 +1000 (AEST) Received: from ewsoutbound.kpnmail.nl (ewsoutbound.kpnmail.nl [195.121.94.167]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id CB34243125 for ; Fri, 24 Feb 2023 07:38:02 +1000 (AEST) X-KPN-MessageId: 500d1996-b3c2-11ed-b20d-005056abbe64 Received: from smtp.kpnmail.nl (unknown [10.31.155.38]) by ewsoutbound.so.kpn.org (Halon) with ESMTPS id 500d1996-b3c2-11ed-b20d-005056abbe64; Thu, 23 Feb 2023 22:37:46 +0100 (CET) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=planet.nl; s=planet01; h=to:date:message-id:subject:mime-version:content-type:from; bh=vStmABpYU8vm+5Fy+t+UCiEs6ju+Kpw9zBi9avvYKt8=; b=nCG5nKog+jTNbBlsjMZ/ZNuYjxk3G9+ym/TsEFaHd7p/e3oAn9KlS/mSXEBIVGJTYMvyjnCLUTDQ0 bVRszqWwOdicefFfdhF0Pxg+dYnJOOF3FVW1zKl+Gktaynaxvkp0tgwnM3PnVc0DZI6g+t7xfvGSG7 bOCCGvXg9JqG88Ys= X-KPN-MID: 33|7eYQqwtX+cNghAxDljjOnrG6naX/IK102oWIYctkBeZJujqJm3qfMYoS7xNwVdS CMK1MWLKqO4ZuhCm8f2EA+XaEq3tkckYmNrOpbCaYvIE= X-KPN-VerifiedSender: Yes X-CMASSUN: 33|t5eY0OtoReOXIr1IaFsNodLTPUEZfhOW1muXkL2V2jrdRG+dh2B/um8dZ2B0ANY gPmzf14mEexf21dHkS7J1QQ== X-Originating-IP: 77.172.38.96 Received: from smtpclient.apple (77-172-38-96.fixed.kpn.net [77.172.38.96]) by smtp.kpnmail.nl (Halon) with ESMTPSA id 52578ac2-b3c2-11ed-97f1-005056abf0db; Thu, 23 Feb 2023 22:37:50 +0100 (CET) From: Paul Ruizendaal Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Mime-Version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 14.0 \(3654.120.0.1.13\)) Message-Id: <76DBD7F1-0419-4CF6-9249-866B0E11C73E@planet.nl> Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2023 22:37:50 +0100 To: "tuhs@tuhs.org" X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.3654.120.0.1.13) Message-ID-Hash: PMGSHHKO6ZQU2WZOU6RXGN5TUI652WJS X-Message-ID-Hash: PMGSHHKO6ZQU2WZOU6RXGN5TUI652WJS X-MailFrom: pnr@planet.nl X-Mailman-Rule-Misses: dmarc-mitigation; no-senders; approved; emergency; loop; banned-address; member-moderation; nonmember-moderation; administrivia; implicit-dest; max-recipients; max-size; news-moderation; no-subject; digests; suspicious-header X-Mailman-Version: 3.3.6b1 Precedence: list Subject: [TUHS] Re: Origins of the SGS (System Generation Software) and COFF (Common Object File Format) List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list Archived-At: List-Archive: List-Help: List-Owner: List-Post: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: > Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2023 18:38:25 +0000 > Subject: [TUHS] Re: Origins of the SGS (System Generation Software) > and COFF (Common Object File Format) >=20 > For the sake of timelines: >=20 > June 1980 - Publication date on the front page of the 3.0 manual in = which the utilities are still very much research for PDP-11 and 32V-ish = for VAX where distinctions matter. >=20 > June 1981 - Publication date on the front page of the 4.1 manual in = which the man-pages very much refer to all of this as the "3B-20 object = format" >=20 > June 1982 - Publication date on the front page of the 5.0 manual by = which point these same pages had been edited and extended to describe = the "common object file format" >=20 > Additions at the 1981 release include dump(1), list(1), and the = ld-prefixed library routines for managing these object files. These = likewise persist in 5.0, SysV, and beyond as COFF-related tools. >=20 > So this puts the backstop of what would become COFF at at least '81. >=20 > - Matt G. The surviving source code for SysV R2 supports this timeline: - The header files (start from = https://github.com/ryanwoodsmall/oldsysv/blob/master/sysvr2-vax/src/head/a= .out.h) have dates of late =E2=80=9982, early =E2=80=9983. - The source for exec() has a comment that refers to the 4xx magic = formats as =E2=80=9Cpre 5.0 stuff=E2=80=9D. - The COFF format headers are #ifdef=E2=80=99ed for the 3B series. Interestingly, the lowest magic numbers in the 5xx series are not for = the 3B, but for the =E2=80=9CBasic-16=E2=80=9D and for the =E2=80=9Cx86=E2= =80=9D. That led me to this paper: https://www.bell-labs.com/usr/dmr/www/otherports/newp.pdf It seems that the roots of COFF go back to the initial portability = effort for V7 and in particular the 8086 port (which was done in 1978 = according to the paper).