How kernel, compiler, and C library work together: Difference between revisions

When linking dynamically, the linker is invoked during the ''loading'' of an executable. The unresolved references in the object code are resolved against the libraries currently present in the system. This makes the on-disk executable much smaller, and allows for in-memory space-saving strategies such as ''shared libraries'' (see below).

On the downside, the executable becomes dependent on the presence of the libraries it references; if a system does not have those libraries, the executable cannot run.