Preferred Executable Format
The Preferred Executable Format is a file format that specifies the format of executable files and other object code. PEF executables are also called Code Fragment Manager files (CFM).
| Uniform Type Identifier (UTI) | com.apple.pef-binary |
|---|---|
| Developed by | Apple Computer |
| Type of format | executable |
| Container for | PowerPC executable and object code |
PEF was developed by Apple Computer for use in its classic Mac OS operating system. It was optimised for RISC processors. In macOS, the Mach-O file format is the native executable format. However, PEF is still supported on PowerPC-based Macintoshes running Mac OS X and is used by some Carbon applications ported from earlier versions for classic Mac OS, so that the same binary can be run on classic Mac OS and Mac OS X.
BeOS on PowerPC systems also uses PEF, although x86 systems do not.
External links
- PEF Structure - documentation at developer.apple.com via web.archive.org
- Mac OS Runtime Architectures For System 7 Through Mac OS 9 - PDF from developer.apple.com (see chapter 8, PEF Structure)
- dumppef Documentation - description of what is in a PEF file, such as allowed sections the string table.
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