[Bug driver/37786] Documentation for `-symbolic' needs fixing

["martinrb at google dot com" <gcc-bugzilla@gcc.gnu.org>]

------- Comment #3 from martinrb at google dot com  2008-10-09 19:26 -------
(In reply to comment #2)
> "Only a few      systems support this option."
> 
> x86-linux-gnu is one of those targets that don't support this option :).
> 
> There is no changes needed here for the documentation as far as I can tell so
> closing as invalid.

Dear bugmeister,

At the very least the documentation could be made less confusing.
The documentation for GNU ld gives:

`-Bsymbolic'
     When creating a shared library, bind references to global symbols
     to the definition within the shared library, if any.  Normally, it
     is possible for a program linked against a shared library to
     override the definition within the shared library.  This option is
     only meaningful on ELF platforms which support shared libraries.

The wording is sufficiently similar that one might think
`-symbolic' and `-Bsymbolic' have the same meaning.
Yet on x86-linux-gnu, the first fails, while the second appears to succeed.

$ gcc -symbolic main.c; echo --; gcc -Bsymbolic main.c
gcc: unrecognized option '-symbolic'
--

Also, gcc has a documented `-B' flag with a completely different meaning.

All in all, I think there is at least scope for improved clarity
in the documentation.  I've used gcc for decades, but am still confused.


-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=37786