Mach-O binary format

E773465

binary file format executable and object file format

The Mach-O binary format is the native executable and object file format used by macOS and iOS systems for programs, libraries, and related binary code.

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All labels observed (4)

Label	Occurrences
Mach-O	4
Mach header	1
Mach-O binary format canonical	1
Universal Binary	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T9028136 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Mach-O binary format
Context triple: [Universal 2 binary format, basedOn, Mach-O binary format]

A. Universal 2 binary format
Universal 2 binary format is Apple’s macOS application packaging format that combines both Intel and Apple silicon (ARM) executables into a single app bundle for seamless cross-architecture support.
B. dyld
dyld is the dynamic linker for macOS and other Darwin-based systems, responsible for loading and linking shared libraries at program startup and runtime.
C. Mach microkernel
Mach microkernel is a pioneering microkernel-based operating system kernel developed at Carnegie Mellon University, known for its message-passing architecture and influence on systems like NeXTSTEP and early versions of macOS.
D. XNU
XNU is the hybrid operating system kernel developed by Apple that powers macOS and other Apple platforms, combining components from Mach and BSD.
E. Dalvik Executable format
The Dalvik Executable format is a compact bytecode format used by Android to package and run compiled application code in its runtime environment.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Mach-O binary format
Target entity description: The Mach-O binary format is the native executable and object file format used by macOS and iOS systems for programs, libraries, and related binary code.

A. Universal 2 binary format
Universal 2 binary format is Apple’s macOS application packaging format that combines both Intel and Apple silicon (ARM) executables into a single app bundle for seamless cross-architecture support.
B. dyld
dyld is the dynamic linker for macOS and other Darwin-based systems, responsible for loading and linking shared libraries at program startup and runtime.
C. Mach microkernel
Mach microkernel is a pioneering microkernel-based operating system kernel developed at Carnegie Mellon University, known for its message-passing architecture and influence on systems like NeXTSTEP and early versions of macOS.
D. XNU
XNU is the hybrid operating system kernel developed by Apple that powers macOS and other Apple platforms, combining components from Mach and BSD.
E. Dalvik Executable format
The Dalvik Executable format is a compact bytecode format used by Android to package and run compiled application code in its runtime environment.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (51)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	binary file format ⓘ executable and object file format ⓘ
definedIn	Apple developer documentation ⓘ linked to: Apple Developer Documentation
fatFileAlsoCalled	universal binary ⓘ
fatFilePurpose	store multiple architectures in one file ⓘ
hasComponent	Mach header ⓘ linked to: Mach-O binary format code signature blob ⓘ dylinker information ⓘ load commands ⓘ relocation entries ⓘ sections ⓘ segments ⓘ string table ⓘ symbol table ⓘ
hasVariant	fat Mach-O file ⓘ thin Mach-O file ⓘ
introducedBy	NeXTSTEP operating system ⓘ linked to: NeXTSTEP
maintainedBy	Apple Inc. ⓘ
replacedFormat	a.out ⓘ
supports	32-bit architectures ⓘ 64-bit architectures ⓘ
supportsArchitecture	ARM ⓘ ARM64 ⓘ PowerPC ⓘ x86 ⓘ x86_64 ⓘ
supportsFeature	code signing ⓘ debug information ⓘ dynamic linking ⓘ position-independent code ⓘ symbol tables ⓘ
usedByKernel	XNU kernel ⓘ linked to: XNU
usedByOperatingSystem	iOS ⓘ iPadOS ⓘ macOS ⓘ tvOS ⓘ watchOS ⓘ
usedByTool	dyld dynamic linker ⓘ linked to: dyld lldb ⓘ linked to: LLDB nm ⓘ otool ⓘ
usedByToolchain	Clang ⓘ LLVM linker (ld64, lld-macho) ⓘ linked to: LLD linker Xcode ⓘ
usedFor	core dumps ⓘ dynamic libraries ⓘ executables ⓘ kernel extensions ⓘ object files ⓘ shared libraries ⓘ
usesEndianness	little-endian ⓘ

How these facts were elicited