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linker

The tool that stitches separately compiled code pieces into one runnable program, resolving the references between them.

Compiling produces object files full of unresolved references — 'call this function defined elsewhere.' The linker connects those references, lays out the code and data, and produces a final executable or library. A loader then brings that image into memory to run. In microZeus it's part of the from-scratch toolchain that userspace programs use.