a.out

[bangalore]

hai
"the a.out file will run in windows or not?" pls anyone exlain about that one

[lakerdonald]

You can run a Linux-compiled executable under windows by using one of many compatibility libraries. One of the most common ones is cygwin1.dll, part of the Cygnus Group's cygwin project.

[the_unforgiven]

You can run a Linux-compiled executable under windows by using one of many compatibility libraries. One of the most common ones is cygwin1.dll, part of the Cygnus Group's cygwin project.

AFAIK, even cygwin won't be able to run the binaries compiled on linux in windows. Because the executable file formats are different.

Even for an a.out (COFF) to be executable on windows, it needs to be converted into a Windows-PE by prepending proper headers to it.

If I remember correctly, there is a good tech. paper available on DJ Delorie's site - http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/ about the same issue.

Or did we have a discussion on his mailing list, I don't recall..

Here, he describes the exe file format for DOS:
http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/doc/exe/

BTW, DJ Delorie wrote/maintains one such port of gcc for windows - just like cygwin.