.LDS File Extension
Binutils LD Linker Script
| Developer | The GNU Project |
| Popularity |
3.5 | 4 Votes |
What is an LDS file?
Script written for ld, a Linux command line utility used for structuring the format of Linux executables (also known as "object" files) based on input files; specifies a list of sections of the output file and includes the size and memory location of each section; written in the "linker command language."
More Information
Linking is part of the compilation process when building source code files into an output executable file. The ld command is often used as the last part of the compilation process to build the final executable.
An example of a linker script is vmlinux.lds, which is located in the arch/[processor type]/kernel/ directory. This file is used as the linker script during Linux kernel compilation.
NOTE: The ld program is part of GNU's Binutils.
Programs that open or reference LDS files
LaserDisc Sample
| Developer | Domesday86 |
| Popularity |
2.0 | 1 Vote |
An LDS file may also be a high-resolution copy of the data contained on a LaserDisc. It contains encoded analog data created by capturing the raw radio frequency produced by a LaserDisc player's laser. LDS files most likely contain data copied from a BBC Domesday LaserDisc, using Domesday86.
More Information
In 1986, the BBC finished and released the results of its Domesday project. The project, which sought to produce a picture of the United Kingdom's then-current culture, was comprised of maps, photos, statistical data, and videos. This data, gathered from over 1 million British people, was stored on LaserDics in the LaserVision Read Only Memory (LV-ROM) format. The discs' data could be viewed only on a specialized BBC Master PC that contained a specific Acorn Interactive Video Small Computer System Interface card that allowed the PC to interface with a Phillips VP415 LaserVision player.
As the technology required to view Domesday LaserDiscs fell out of fashion, people began working to preserve and transfer the discs' data to other media. Notably, Domesday enthusiasts Simon Inns and Ian Smallshire created the Domesday86 project and the Domesday Duplicator, which allowed them to copy the data stored on Domesday LaserDiscs. To copy the data, Domesday86 produced a device that captured the radio frequency produced as a laser read a LaserDisc. They then stored this radio frequency data and, in theory, could use it to produce an exact copy of the LaserDisc the data was recorded from. When this LaserDisc radio frequency data is saved as a file, it is saved as an LDS file.
How to open an LDS file
The ld-decode suite (Linux) includes several tools that allow users to interact with LDS files. You can use ld-compress to compress LDS files into .LDF files, and you can use ld-decode to transform an LDS file into a .TBC file. After transforming an LDS file into a TBC file, you can watch the video the TBC file contains in ld-analyze.