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 - Next: <a href="BFD-front-end.html#BFD-front-end" accesskey="n" rel="next">BFD front end</a>, Previous: <a href="index.html#Top" accesskey="p" rel="prev">Top</a>, Up: <a href="index.html#Top" accesskey="u" rel="up">Top</a>   [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="BFD-Index.html#BFD-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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 - <a name="Introduction"></a>
 - <h2 class="chapter">1 Introduction</h2>
 - <a name="index-BFD"></a>
 - <a name="index-what-is-it_003f"></a>
 - <p>BFD is a package which allows applications to use the
 - same routines to operate on object files whatever the object file
 - format.  A new object file format can be supported simply by
 - creating a new BFD back end and adding it to the library.
 - </p>
 - <p>BFD is split into two parts: the front end, and the back ends (one for
 - each object file format).
 - </p><ul>
 - <li> The front end of BFD provides the interface to the user. It manages
 - memory and various canonical data structures. The front end also
 - decides which back end to use and when to call back end routines.
 - </li><li> The back ends provide BFD its view of the real world. Each back
 - end provides a set of calls which the BFD front end can use to maintain
 - its canonical form. The back ends also may keep around information for
 - their own use, for greater efficiency.
 - </li></ul>
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