gdb and newer versions of compilers

[David Shrader <dshrader@lanl.gov>]

Hello,

I have a user that is claiming gdb 7.2 does not work with C++ code 
compiled with GCC 4.8.2. Gdb is provided by the system (RHEL 6) while 
the compiler is one that I have provided. I'm still working with the 
user on possible errors in their workflow with gdb, but I wanted to 
investigate the limits of gdb's ability to keep working with binaries 
compiled by newer compilers because I really don't know. What kind of 
changes in a compiler would cause a particular version of gdb to no 
longer work correctly with it? For example, I know that a change in 
library format would probably require a new version of gdb, but does a 
change in C++ specs require the same treatment?

I know that running with the latest version of gdb is a good idea to get 
passed bugs and to net new features, but I'm trying to gain some sort of 
intuition as to when a new version of gdb is necessary rather than just 
a good idea.

Thank you all for your time and any help,
David

-- 
David Shrader
HPC-3 High Performance Computer Systems
Los Alamos National Lab
Email: dshrader <at> lanl.gov