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(nasm.info)Section 8.1.1

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8.1.1. External Symbol Names
----------------------------

   Most 32-bit C compilers share the convention used by 16-bit
compilers, that the names of all global symbols (functions or data)
they define are formed by prefixing an underscore to the name as it
appears in the C program.  However, not all of them do: the `ELF'
specification states that C symbols do _not_ have a leading underscore
on their assembly-language names.

   The older Linux `a.out' C compiler, all `Win32' compilers, `DJGPP',
and `NetBSD' and `FreeBSD', all use the leading underscore; for these
compilers, the macros `cextern' and `cglobal', as given in *Note
Section 7.4.1::, will still work. For `ELF', though, the leading
underscore should not be used.

   See also *Note Section 2.1.21::.