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Re: fallout from decimal sh_info readelf patch
On Thu, 6 May 2004, Alan Modra wrote:
> On Wed, May 05, 2004 at 06:59:36PM -0400, Hans-Peter Nilsson wrote:
> > And while I'm here, please people, please avoid changing the
> > default output or output of common options for binutils
> > programs. Make changes depend on some new non-default option.
>
> Sometimes, I think a change to default output is worth the pain of
> updating the testsuite.
Sometimes, but rare enough. I'd like to avoid having it
perceived as a rule that it's worth *any* pain to change the
output format of whatever binutils program. It's *not* the
testsuite changes that is the primary reason to avoid output
format changes; it's all other use.
Alternatively, maybe we should instead have an option called
something like "--canonical-format" that people can use in
scripts, and we never change that output format no matter what
(for most "what"'s)?
> Incidentally, if we ever implement Roland's suggestion,
> http://sources.redhat.com/ml/binutils/2003-04/msg00435.html
> to do away with dynamic section symbols, we'll be up for a lot more
> pain than HJ's fix..
That surely would be a "change in output", but not a "change in
output *format*" which is what I really meant. When the "output
change" reflects actual file content change, I have no
objection.
brgds, H-P