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(nasm.info)Section 6.6

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6.6. `aout': Linux `a.out' Object Files
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   The `aout' format generates `a.out' object files, in the form used
by early Linux systems (current Linux systems use ELF, see *Note
Section 6.5::.) These differ from other `a.out' object files in that
the magic number in the first four bytes of the file is different;
also, some implementations of `a.out', for example NetBSD's, support
position-independent code, which Linux's implementation does not.

   `a.out' provides a default output file-name extension of `.o'.

   `a.out' is a very simple object format. It supports no special
directives, no special symbols, no use of `SEG' or `WRT', and no
extensions to any standard directives. It supports only the three
standard section names `.text', `.data' and `.bss'.