Can someone explain about Linux library naming?

Question

When I create a library on Linux, I use this method:

1. Build: libhelloworld.so.1.0.0
2. Link: libhelloworld.so.1.0.0 libhelloworld.so
3. Link: libhellowo

Answer 1

The primary advantage of this method is easily letting users know which version of the library they have. For example, if I know a bug I'm getting was fixed in 1.0.4 I can easily check what version of the library I am linking against, and know if that's the right way to fix the bug.

This number is referred to as the "shared object version" or "soversion" and is part of the ELF binary standard. IBM has a good overview of ELF at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/power/library/pa-spec12/.