**❄️🦊** @icefox@octodon.social · Dec 12, 2017, 01:32

**❄️🦊** @icefox@octodon.social · Dec 12, 2017, 01:32

❄️🦊 @icefox@octodon.social

Linkers are such weird pieces of software.

So intricate that they're a huge endeavor, so fundamental every developer needs one, but so obscure there's very few of them. There's more production-quality assemblers and web servers than linkers, but neither will ever work without a linker.

Such a strange corner of computer technology.

**Spencer Alves** @impiaaa · Dec 12, 2017, 01:33

**Spencer Alves** @impiaaa · Dec 12, 2017, 01:33

@icefox at least there's more than one FOSS one now!

**Erin 🕯** @er1n@social.mecanis.me · Dec 12, 2017, 01:34

**Erin 🕯** @er1n@social.mecanis.me · Dec 12, 2017, 01:34

@impiaaa @icefox what, gnu ld, gnu gold, and LLD?

**❄️🦊** @icefox@octodon.social · Dec 12, 2017, 01:38

**❄️🦊** @icefox@octodon.social · Dec 12, 2017, 01:38

@er1n @impiaaa yeah basically.

Microsoft link.exe deserves mention because it's apparently actually pretty good.

But even then... Intel has icc, but is there an Intel linker? Not that I'm aware.

Does Solaris have it's own linker? BSDs? Not afaik.

**Samuel Hodgkins (samis) 🍄** @samis@mastodon.9net.org · Dec 12, 2017, 04:18

**Samuel Hodgkins (samis) 🍄** @samis@mastodon.9net.org · Dec 12, 2017, 04:18

@icefox @er1n @impiaaa I believe Solaris (and illumos) has their own linker to go with their own libc. BSDs tend to use the GNU or LLD linkers. Not sure if OS X uses a proprietary linker or a GNU / LLD one.

**Spencer Alves** @impiaaa · 2017-12-12T04:19:23Z

Spencer Alves @impiaaa

@samis @icefox @er1n macOS uses LLD, probably, or maybe still GNU

Dec 12, 2017, 04:19 · Web · 0 · 0

**❄️🦊** @icefox@octodon.social · Dec 12, 2017, 04:20

**❄️🦊** @icefox@octodon.social · Dec 12, 2017, 04:20

@impiaaa @samis @er1n Yeah that's the thing

the modern choices are 'gnu' or 'lld', and as far as I know that's literally it.