Linkers, Loaders and Shared Libraries in Windows, Linux, and C++
summary
Explains concrete differences: Windows uses an IAT and explicit imports so symbols cannot be interposed and delay‑load is off by default, Linux uses a GOT and PLT plus breadth‑first search so interposition and lazy binding are possible. Recommends build flags: -fvisibility=hidden, -Bsymbolic and -zrelro/-znow (or DZLAZY tradeoffs). Cites numbers: Python gained ~1.3x speedup by blocking interposition; compilers report up to 30% max (≈1% average) from devirtualization. Describes how function pointers, PIC and ELF resolver stubs actually behave.
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chapters (10)
- 0:00Introduction to linking
- 1:06Linking and loading basics
- 6:50Windows vs. Linux linking
- 9:50Interposition and symbol binding
- 24:23Position independent code
- 32:31Lazy binding mechanics
- 33:48Function pointer comparison
- 36:39Visibility and security
- 45:19Best practices and conclusions
- 51:10Q&A session
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