This is the mail archive of the cygwin@sourceware.cygnus.com mailing list for the Cygwin project.


Index Nav: [Date Index] [Subject Index] [Author Index] [Thread Index]
Message Nav: [Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]

Re: Diff of executable files


On 23 Dec 97 at 12:15,  Martin Portmann <map@graph-tech.ch> wrote:

>    I want to do a 'diff' of binary files on the Win32
>    platform (*.exe and *.dll). The problem is that
>    the binary files seems to contain timestamps so
>    that if I compile the same source twice I get
>    different binaries.
>    Where can I get information about the binary
>    format used on Win32 platforms?
> 

Hi!

A diff for executables?  That seems a very useful idea.  Maybe the
compiler experts in this list could help you with this task.

Please take a look at the Microsoft site, at
	http://www.microsoft.com

And issue two searches: one for "COFF" -- the new executable format, 
used in Windows NT and 9X. And the other for "PE", the old format, 
for Win16.

A good link is the documentation of the two formats:
	http://premium.microsoft.com/msdn/library/specs/f11/s9865.htm

You need to subscribe to this "premium" site, but this is free.

Microsoft web site is a good place to look for information about 
Win32 pgming.  Some would say: they created the mess, they must 
help solve it. :-)

HTH

++Hilton

-------------------
Hilton Fernandes
email: hgfernan@usp.br
www:   http://www.lsi.usp.br/~hilton.html (inactive)
M. Sc. Student of Parallel Distributed Applications
at Escola Politecnica (Polytechic School)
University of S. Paulo - Brazil
-
For help on using this list (especially unsubscribing), send a message to
"gnu-win32-request@cygnus.com" with one line of text: "help".


Index Nav: [Date Index] [Subject Index] [Author Index] [Thread Index]
Message Nav: [Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]