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Re: New ELF linker code added to GNU binutils
"Will Newton" <will.newton@gmail.com> writes:
> On Sat, Mar 22, 2008 at 12:02 AM, Ian Lance Taylor <iant@google.com> wrote:
>
>> At the moment gold has only one significant advantage over the
>> existing linker: it is faster. On large C++ programs, I have measured
>> it as running five times faster.
>
> This new linker sounds interesting, but I'm not sure as someone who
> maintains a binutils port what's in it for me. ;-)
>
> Is it designed just to be faster or are there other new features
> planned? Should I consider doing a port of gold to my target? At the
> moment not linking Linux is a showstopper for me, but I would imagine
> that will be fixed in time.
Other new features are planned, but even for them the main focus is on
being faster (concurrent linking, incremental linking). Most people
do not look to the linker for features; most people are barely aware
of the linker at all (obviously the readers of this mailing list are
an exception).
For people who work on small embedded systems in particular, there is
likely to be little incentive to do a port to the new linker at this
time.
Ian