• kinghajj (2/2) Dec 12 2003 Apparently, UPX cannot successfully compress D programs. If you try, the
• Ilya Minkov (17/19) Dec 13 2003 No, it cannot. The linker produces executables which UPX doesn't like
• Walter (6/7) Dec 13 2003 The DM linker puts out standard PE files as defined by Microsoft. Those ...
• Maik Zumstrull (6/11) Dec 14 2003 It would still be interesting to know what it is about DM executables
• Walter (9/20) Dec 14 2003 PE

kinghajj <kinghajj_member pathlink.com> writes:

Apparently, UPX cannot successfully compress D programs. If you try, the
compressed program does nothing. Can this be fixed?

Ilya Minkov <minkov cs.tum.edu> writes:

kinghajj wrote:
 Apparently, UPX cannot successfully compress D programs. If you try, the
 compressed program does nothing. Can this be fixed?

No, it cannot. The linker produces executables which UPX doesn't like 
for some reason. The stable one produces broken executables, the current 
beta complains, but produces valid exes.

It is probably some "feature" of the PEs output by the linker. However, 
it cannot be changed since the linker was coded in raw assembly for 
speed, and Walter doesn't like the idea of changing it. It is definately 
not a real bug in linker, since most other compressors have no problem 
with it. I have informed the UPX guys of the problem, but got no reply. 
But with one of them starting to use DMC now, he will eventually notice 
and/or fix it.

There are 3 solutions:
  - (complains) Use current Beta UPX.
  - (works well) Use Petite compressor from Ian Luck.
  - (not testet) Use an alternative Linker from Christof Meerwald:
http://cmeerw.org/prog/owtools/

-eye

"Walter" <walter digitalmars.com> writes:

"Ilya Minkov" <minkov cs.tum.edu> wrote in message
news:brfb62$1k1u$1 digitaldaemon.com...
 It is probably some "feature" of the PEs output by the linker.

The DM linker puts out standard PE files as defined by Microsoft. Those PE
files have worked fine with every version of Win32 from Win32s to WinXP,
every PE debugger tried, and every PE file tool used on it. Except UPX. This
problem is a bug in UPX.

Maik Zumstrull <Maik.Zumstrull gmx.de> writes:

Walter wrote:

It is probably some "feature" of the PEs output by the linker.


 The DM linker puts out standard PE files as defined by Microsoft. Those PE
 files have worked fine with every version of Win32 from Win32s to WinXP,
 every PE debugger tried, and every PE file tool used on it. Except UPX. This
 problem is a bug in UPX.

It would still be interesting to know what it is about DM executables 
that is different (which does not have to mean in violation of the 
standard) from executables UPX has no problem with. I'm not saying that 
DM should be changed so that UPX can stay the way it is; I'm just saying 
the problem should be completely analysed before throwing blame either way.

"Walter" <walter digitalmars.com> writes:

"Maik Zumstrull" <Maik.Zumstrull gmx.de> wrote in message
news:bri3rm$2hoa$1 digitaldaemon.com...
 Walter wrote:
It is probably some "feature" of the PEs output by the linker.

 The DM linker puts out standard PE files as defined by Microsoft. Those


PE
 files have worked fine with every version of Win32 from Win32s to WinXP,
 every PE debugger tried, and every PE file tool used on it. Except UPX.


This
 problem is a bug in UPX.

 It would still be interesting to know what it is about DM executables
 that is different (which does not have to mean in violation of the
 standard) from executables UPX has no problem with. I'm not saying that
 DM should be changed so that UPX can stay the way it is; I'm just saying
 the problem should be completely analysed before throwing blame either

way.

This would be easy to find by someone with access to the UPX source who was
willing to spend some time tracing through it. But realisitically, UPX
should work with all PE files that the win32 loader accepts, or give a
reasonable diagnostic otherwise.