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From the Wikipedia entry on a.out: > "a.out" remains the default output file name for executables created by certain compilers and linkers when no output name

From the Wikipedia entry on a.out: > "a.out" remains the default output file name for executables created by certain compilers and linkers when no output name is specified, even though the created files actually are not in the a.out format.

tomcam 5y ago
So you just rename the file, right? I honestly don’t understand why this is a big deal. Though in general I have always thought it was weird that UNIX defaults to that name instead of the name of the main source file.
- HoppyHaus 5y ago
  GCC a.out is an ELF file (except in extremely rare circumstances). "a.out" as a executable format is like ELF, but different and practically no longer used. This is a proposal to remove the latter
  - tomcam 5y ago
    Ah! Thanks.