Re: Designs for better debug info in GCC

[Robert Dewar <dewar@adacore.com>]

Alexandre Oliva wrote:

> I'm sorry that you feel that way, but I don't understand why you and
> so many others apply different compliance standards to debug
> information.  Why do you regard compiler output that causes systems to
> fail because they process incorrect debug information as any more
> acceptable than compiler output that causes system to fail because
> they process incorrect instructions?

Incorrect debug output does not cause systems to fail in any
reasonable development methodology. It is simply a nuisance.
After all you can perfectly well develop an application without
a debugger at all if you have to, but you have to have correct
code being generated or things are MUCH harder.

I am all in favor of getting the debug information as accurate as
possible, but I agree with others who feel that this excessive
rhetoric is damaging the cause of achieving this. If you don't
understand why different compliance standards are applied in
the two cases, then there is something major you are missing.

> Just so that you, who don't care so much about the correctness of this
> information yet, can shave off some bytes from your object files?  Why
> shouldn't you use an option such as -gimme-just-what-I-need-no-more or
> -fsck-up-my-debug-info-I-dont-care-about-standards instead?

I am beginning to think this is a lost cause if you persist in
taking this flippant attitude, and fail to understand the basis
of the real concerns about what you propose.