The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Linkers and loaders are utilities that function in the execution, or running, of programs.
A linker, which can also be called a link editor or a binder, is a program that combines object modules together to form a program that can then be executed. Modules are parts of programs. Until modules are combined, or linked, the program will not function. An individual module can contain one or several routines, and so can be linked with other modules to support programs of differing functionality.
A linker performs an important function. Without it, programs would have to be written completely. The presence of the linker allows a large program to be broken into small, more manageable pieces. In addition to the combining function, a linker can replace a so-called symbolic address with a real address. Even a program consisting entirely of one module may need to be linked, if address replacement is done.
A loader is a utility of an operating system. It copies programs from a storage device to a computer's main memory, where the program can then be executed. Like linkers, loaders can also replace virtual addresses with real addresses. Most loaders function without user involvement. They are invisible to the user, but are a recognizable utility to the operating system.