Why does mips define elf_backend_sign_extend_vma to true?

[H . J . Lu]

Only elf32-mips.c has

#define elf_backend_sign_extend_vma        true

and we get

# nm vmlinux
ffffffff802e01f0 D C_A_D
ffffffff802df344 D EISA_bus
....

Does anyone know why mips does this?


H.J.