DOCERR: Incorrectly States /PACKC Is Off by Default (87790)

SUMMARY

According to the printed and online documentation for versions of Microsoft LINK earlier than version 5.3, the default setting for the /PACKC[ODE] linker option switch is off. This statement is incorrect.

The documentation for LINK version 5.3 includes the following correct statement:

Code-segment packing is on by default for segmented executable files and for DOS programs created with overlays or with the /TINY option.

The /NOPACKC[ODE] switch turns code-segment packing off.

MORE INFORMATION

To see how code packing changes the executable file, examine the map file that LINK creates. In the two partial map files below, each logical segment has a distinct physical segment address when the file is linked with /NOPACKCODE but the logical segments share a physical segment when /PACKCODE is on (the default behavior).

Start      Length      Name
0001:0000  0114CH      _TEXT
0002:0000  00972H      MOD_TEXT      //  code packing off /NOPACKCODE
0003:0000  0137DH      MOD2_TEXT
0004:0000  0021EH      MOD3_TEXT

Start      Length      Name
0001:0000  00934H      _TEXT
0001:0934  01354H      MOD_TEXT      // code packing on   (default)
0001:1C88  00ADAH      MOD2_TEXT
0001:2762  014ABH      MOD3_TEXT

The /PACKCODE switch is documented incorrectly in the following four locations:

Microsoft C "Reference" manual for version 6.0, page 31
Microsoft FORTRAN "Environment and Tools" manual for version 5.1, version 379
Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) "Programmer's Guide" manual for version 6.0, page 354
Microsoft QuickC for Windows (QC/Win) "Toolkit" manual for version 1.0, page 219